Merge branch 'develop' into fix-2359

82 files changed, 2052 insertions, 1616 deletions

diff --git a/core/src/main/java/android/support/v4/app/SafeJobIntentService.java b/core/src/main/java/android/support/v4/app/SafeJobIntentService.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c07c409ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/main/java/android/support/v4/app/SafeJobIntentService.java
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+package android.support.v4.app;
+
+import android.app.job.JobParameters;
+import android.app.job.JobServiceEngine;
+import android.app.job.JobWorkItem;
+import android.content.Intent;
+import android.os.Build;
+import android.os.IBinder;
+import android.support.annotation.RequiresApi;
+import android.util.Log;
+
+
+public abstract class SafeJobIntentService extends JobIntentService {
+
+    @Override
+    public void onCreate() {
+        super.onCreate();
+        if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= 26) {
+            mJobImpl = new SafeJobServiceEngineImpl(this);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Implementation of a safe JobServiceEngine for interaction with JobIntentService.
+     */
+    @RequiresApi(26)
+    static final class SafeJobServiceEngineImpl extends JobServiceEngine
+            implements JobIntentService.CompatJobEngine {
+        static final String TAG = "JobServiceEngineImpl";
+
+        static final boolean DEBUG = false;
+
+        final JobIntentService mService;
+        final Object mLock = new Object();
+        JobParameters mParams;
+
+        final class WrapperWorkItem implements JobIntentService.GenericWorkItem {
+            final JobWorkItem mJobWork;
+
+            WrapperWorkItem(JobWorkItem jobWork) {
+                mJobWork = jobWork;
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public Intent getIntent() {
+                return mJobWork.getIntent();
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void complete() {
+                synchronized (mLock) {
+                    if (mParams != null) {
+                        try {
+                            mParams.completeWork(mJobWork);
+                        } catch (SecurityException e) {
+                            Log.e(TAG, Log.getStackTraceString(e));
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        SafeJobServiceEngineImpl(JobIntentService service) {
+            super(service);
+            mService = service;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public IBinder compatGetBinder() {
+            return getBinder();
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public boolean onStartJob(JobParameters params) {
+            if (DEBUG) Log.d(TAG, "onStartJob: " + params);
+            mParams = params;
+            // We can now start dequeuing work!
+            mService.ensureProcessorRunningLocked(false);
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public boolean onStopJob(JobParameters params) {
+            if (DEBUG) Log.d(TAG, "onStartJob: " + params);
+            boolean result = mService.doStopCurrentWork();
+            synchronized (mLock) {
+                // Once we return, the job is stopped, so its JobParameters are no
+                // longer valid and we should not be doing anything with them.
+                mParams = null;
+            }
+            return result;
+        }
+
+        /**
+         * Dequeue some work.
+         */
+        @Override
+        public JobIntentService.GenericWorkItem dequeueWork() {
+            JobWorkItem work = null;
+            synchronized (mLock) {
+                if (mParams == null) {
+                    return null;
+                }
+                try {
+                    work = mParams.dequeueWork();
+                } catch (SecurityException e) {
+                    Log.e(TAG, Log.getStackTraceString(e));
+                }
+            }
+            if (work != null) {
+                work.getIntent().setExtrasClassLoader(mService.getClassLoader());
+                return new WrapperWorkItem(work);
+            } else {
+                return null;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/UpdateManager.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/UpdateManager.java
index 96e3a77be..1b4cbc0ea 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/UpdateManager.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/UpdateManager.java
@@ -10,21 +10,15 @@ import android.util.Log;
 
 import org.antennapod.audio.MediaPlayer;
 
-import java.io.File;
-import java.util.List;
-
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.Feed;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedImage;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedItem;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.preferences.UserPreferences;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.DBReader;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.DBWriter;
 
 /*
  * This class's job is do perform maintenance tasks whenever the app has been updated
  */
 class UpdateManager {
 
+    private UpdateManager(){}
+
     private static final String TAG = UpdateManager.class.getSimpleName();
 
     private static final String PREF_NAME = "app_version";
@@ -64,32 +58,22 @@ class UpdateManager {
     }
 
     private static void onUpgrade(final int oldVersionCode, final int newVersionCode) {
-        if(oldVersionCode < 1030099) {
-            // delete the now obsolete image cache
-            // from now on, Glide will handle caching images
-            new Thread() {
-                public void run() {
-                    List<Feed> feeds = DBReader.getFeedList();
-                    for (Feed podcast : feeds) {
-                        List<FeedItem> episodes = DBReader.getFeedItemList(podcast);
-                        for (FeedItem episode : episodes) {
-                            FeedImage image = episode.getImage();
-                            if (image != null && image.isDownloaded() && image.getFile_url() != null) {
-                                File imageFile = new File(image.getFile_url());
-                                if (imageFile.exists()) {
-                                    imageFile.delete();
-                                }
-                                image.setFile_url(null); // calls setDownloaded(false)
-                                DBWriter.setFeedImage(image);
-                            }
-                        }
-                    }
-                }
-            }.start();
-        }
-        if(oldVersionCode < 1050004) {
+        if (oldVersionCode < 1050004) {
             if(MediaPlayer.isPrestoLibraryInstalled(context) && Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= 16) {
-                UserPreferences.enableSonic(true);
+                UserPreferences.enableSonic();
+            }
+        }
+
+        if (oldVersionCode < 1070196) {
+            // migrate episode cleanup value (unit changed from days to hours)
+            int oldValueInDays = UserPreferences.getEpisodeCleanupValue();
+            if (oldValueInDays > 0) {
+                UserPreferences.setEpisodeCleanupValue(oldValueInDays * 24);
+            } // else 0 or special negative values, no change needed
+        }
+        if (oldVersionCode < 1070197) {
+            if (prefs.getBoolean("prefMobileUpdate", false)) {
+                prefs.edit().putString(UserPreferences.PREF_MOBILE_UPDATE, "everything").apply();
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/asynctask/DBTaskLoader.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/asynctask/DBTaskLoader.java
deleted file mode 100644
index 1b4aafeaa..000000000
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/asynctask/DBTaskLoader.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,29 +0,0 @@
-package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.asynctask;
-
-import android.content.Context;
-import android.support.v4.content.AsyncTaskLoader;
-
-/**
- * Subclass of AsyncTaskLoader that is made for loading data with one of the DB*-classes.
- * This class will provide a useful default implementation that would otherwise always be necessary when interacting
- * with the DB*-classes with an AsyncTaskLoader.
- */
-abstract class DBTaskLoader<D> extends AsyncTaskLoader<D> {
-
-    public DBTaskLoader(Context context) {
-        super(context);
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    protected void onStopLoading() {
-        super.onStopLoading();
-        cancelLoad();
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    protected void onStartLoading() {
-        super.onStartLoading();
-        // according to https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=14944, this has to be called manually
-        forceLoad();
-    }
-}
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/asynctask/FeedRemover.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/asynctask/FeedRemover.java
index 1e0c07b01..4504b2e7f 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/asynctask/FeedRemover.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/asynctask/FeedRemover.java
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.asynctask;
 
 import android.app.ProgressDialog;
 import android.content.Context;
-import android.content.Intent;
 import android.os.AsyncTask;
 
 import java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException;
@@ -11,6 +10,7 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.R;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.Feed;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.playback.PlaybackService;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.DBWriter;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.IntentUtils;
 
 /** Removes a feed in the background. */
 public class FeedRemover extends AsyncTask<Void, Void, Void> {
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ public class FeedRemover extends AsyncTask<Void, Void, Void> {
             dialog.dismiss();
         }
 		if(skipOnCompletion) {
-			context.sendBroadcast(new Intent(PlaybackService.ACTION_SKIP_CURRENT_EPISODE));
+			IntentUtils.sendLocalBroadcast(context, PlaybackService.ACTION_SKIP_CURRENT_EPISODE);
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/asynctask/FlattrClickWorker.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/asynctask/FlattrClickWorker.java
index f4c99011a..318e404c8 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/asynctask/FlattrClickWorker.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/asynctask/FlattrClickWorker.java
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import android.support.v4.app.NotificationCompat;
 import android.util.Log;
 import android.widget.Toast;
 
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.gui.NotificationUtils;
 import org.shredzone.flattr4j.exception.FlattrException;
 
 import java.util.LinkedList;
@@ -27,6 +26,7 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.DBWriter;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.NetworkUtils;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.flattr.FlattrThing;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.flattr.FlattrUtils;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.gui.NotificationUtils;
 
 /**
  * Performs a click action in a background thread.
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/asynctask/FlattrStatusFetcher.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/asynctask/FlattrStatusFetcher.java
index 420a60469..6d9ab2bd3 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/asynctask/FlattrStatusFetcher.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/asynctask/FlattrStatusFetcher.java
@@ -19,11 +19,9 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.flattr.FlattrUtils;
 
 public class FlattrStatusFetcher extends Thread {
     private static final String TAG = "FlattrStatusFetcher";
-    private final Context context;
 
     public FlattrStatusFetcher(Context context) {
         super();
-        this.context = context;
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/Feed.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/Feed.java
index 78df74ee7..3395653f3 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/Feed.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/Feed.java
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ public class Feed extends FeedFile implements FlattrThing, ImageResource {
      * Name of the author
      */
     private String author;
-    private FeedImage image;
+    private String imageUrl;
     private List<FeedItem> items;
 
     /**
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ public class Feed extends FeedFile implements FlattrThing, ImageResource {
      * This constructor is used for restoring a feed from the database.
      */
     public Feed(long id, String lastUpdate, String title, String customTitle, String link, String description, String paymentLink,
-                String author, String language, String type, String feedIdentifier, FeedImage image, String fileUrl,
+                String author, String language, String type, String feedIdentifier, String imageUrl, String fileUrl,
                 String downloadUrl, boolean downloaded, FlattrStatus status, boolean paged, String nextPageLink,
                 String filter, boolean lastUpdateFailed) {
         super(fileUrl, downloadUrl, downloaded);
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ public class Feed extends FeedFile implements FlattrThing, ImageResource {
         this.language = language;
         this.type = type;
         this.feedIdentifier = feedIdentifier;
-        this.image = image;
+        this.imageUrl = imageUrl;
         this.flattrStatus = status;
         this.paged = paged;
         this.nextPageLink = nextPageLink;
@@ -128,9 +128,9 @@ public class Feed extends FeedFile implements FlattrThing, ImageResource {
      * This constructor is used for test purposes and uses a default flattr status object.
      */
     public Feed(long id, String lastUpdate, String title, String link, String description, String paymentLink,
-                String author, String language, String type, String feedIdentifier, FeedImage image, String fileUrl,
+                String author, String language, String type, String feedIdentifier, String imageUrl, String fileUrl,
                 String downloadUrl, boolean downloaded) {
-        this(id, lastUpdate, title, null, link, description, paymentLink, author, language, type, feedIdentifier, image,
+        this(id, lastUpdate, title, null, link, description, paymentLink, author, language, type, feedIdentifier, imageUrl,
                 fileUrl, downloadUrl, downloaded, new FlattrStatus(), false, null, null, false);
     }
 
@@ -191,6 +191,7 @@ public class Feed extends FeedFile implements FlattrThing, ImageResource {
         int indexNextPageLink = cursor.getColumnIndex(PodDBAdapter.KEY_NEXT_PAGE_LINK);
         int indexHide = cursor.getColumnIndex(PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE);
         int indexLastUpdateFailed = cursor.getColumnIndex(PodDBAdapter.KEY_LAST_UPDATE_FAILED);
+        int indexImageUrl = cursor.getColumnIndex(PodDBAdapter.KEY_IMAGE_URL);
 
         Feed feed = new Feed(
                 cursor.getLong(indexId),
@@ -204,7 +205,7 @@ public class Feed extends FeedFile implements FlattrThing, ImageResource {
                 cursor.getString(indexLanguage),
                 cursor.getString(indexType),
                 cursor.getString(indexFeedIdentifier),
-                null,
+                cursor.getString(indexImageUrl),
                 cursor.getString(indexFileUrl),
                 cursor.getString(indexDownloadUrl),
                 cursor.getInt(indexDownloaded) > 0,
@@ -266,8 +267,8 @@ public class Feed extends FeedFile implements FlattrThing, ImageResource {
     public void updateFromOther(Feed other) {
         // don't update feed's download_url, we do that manually if redirected
         // see AntennapodHttpClient
-        if (other.image != null) {
-            this.image = other.image;
+        if (other.imageUrl != null) {
+            this.imageUrl = other.imageUrl;
         }
         if (other.feedTitle != null) {
             feedTitle = other.feedTitle;
@@ -305,8 +306,8 @@ public class Feed extends FeedFile implements FlattrThing, ImageResource {
         if (super.compareWithOther(other)) {
             return true;
         }
-        if (other.image != null) {
-            if (image == null || !TextUtils.equals(image.download_url, other.image.download_url)) {
+        if (other.imageUrl != null) {
+            if (imageUrl == null || !TextUtils.equals(imageUrl, other.imageUrl)) {
                 return true;
             }
         }
@@ -411,12 +412,12 @@ public class Feed extends FeedFile implements FlattrThing, ImageResource {
         this.description = description;
     }
 
-    public FeedImage getImage() {
-        return image;
+    public String getImageUrl() {
+        return imageUrl;
     }
 
-    public void setImage(FeedImage image) {
-        this.image = image;
+    public void setImageUrl(String imageUrl) {
+        this.imageUrl = imageUrl;
     }
 
     public List<FeedItem> getItems() {
@@ -505,11 +506,7 @@ public class Feed extends FeedFile implements FlattrThing, ImageResource {
 
     @Override
     public String getImageLocation() {
-        if (image != null) {
-            return image.getImageLocation();
-        } else {
-            return null;
-        }
+        return imageUrl;
     }
 
     public int getPageNr() {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/FeedComponent.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/FeedComponent.java
index a3f91b1c9..2610d253f 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/FeedComponent.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/FeedComponent.java
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ public abstract class FeedComponent {
     @Override
     public boolean equals(Object o) {
         if (this == o) return true;
-        if (o == null || getClass() != o.getClass()) return false;
+        if (o == null || !(o instanceof FeedComponent)) return false;
 
         FeedComponent that = (FeedComponent) o;
 
@@ -62,4 +62,4 @@ public abstract class FeedComponent {
     public int hashCode() {
         return (int) (id ^ (id >>> 32));
     }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/FeedImage.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/FeedImage.java
deleted file mode 100644
index 45bd2ad31..000000000
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/FeedImage.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,92 +0,0 @@
-package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed;
-
-import android.database.Cursor;
-
-import java.io.File;
-
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.asynctask.ImageResource;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.PodDBAdapter;
-
-
-public class FeedImage extends FeedFile implements ImageResource {
-	public static final int FEEDFILETYPE_FEEDIMAGE = 1;
-
-	private String title;
-	private FeedComponent owner;
-
-	public FeedImage(FeedComponent owner, String download_url, String title) {
-		super(null, download_url, false);
-		this.download_url = download_url;
-		this.title = title;
-        this.owner = owner;
-	}
-
-	public FeedImage(long id, String title, String file_url,
-			String download_url, boolean downloaded) {
-		super(file_url, download_url, downloaded);
-		this.id = id;
-		this.title = title;
-	}
-
-    public FeedImage() {
-        super();
-    }
-
-	public static FeedImage fromCursor(Cursor cursor) {
-		int indexId = cursor.getColumnIndex(PodDBAdapter.KEY_ID);
-		int indexTitle = cursor.getColumnIndex(PodDBAdapter.KEY_TITLE);
-		int indexFileUrl = cursor.getColumnIndex(PodDBAdapter.KEY_FILE_URL);
-		int indexDownloadUrl = cursor.getColumnIndex(PodDBAdapter.KEY_DOWNLOAD_URL);
-		int indexDownloaded = cursor.getColumnIndex(PodDBAdapter.KEY_DOWNLOADED);
-
-		return new FeedImage(
-				cursor.getLong(indexId),
-				cursor.getString(indexTitle),
-				cursor.getString(indexFileUrl),
-				cursor.getString(indexDownloadUrl),
-				cursor.getInt(indexDownloaded) > 0
-		);
-	}
-
-
-	@Override
-	public String getHumanReadableIdentifier() {
-		if (owner != null && owner.getHumanReadableIdentifier() != null) {
-			return owner.getHumanReadableIdentifier();
-		} else {
-			return download_url;
-		}
-	}
-
-	@Override
-	public int getTypeAsInt() {
-		return FEEDFILETYPE_FEEDIMAGE;
-	}
-
-	public String getTitle() {
-		return title;
-	}
-
-	public void setTitle(String title) {
-		this.title = title;
-	}
-
-	public FeedComponent getOwner() {
-		return owner;
-	}
-
-	public void setOwner(FeedComponent owner) {
-		this.owner = owner;
-	}
-
-    @Override
-    public String getImageLocation() {
-        if (file_url != null && downloaded) {
-            return new File(file_url).getAbsolutePath();
-        } else if(download_url != null) {
-            return download_url;
-        } else {
-            return null;
-        }
-    }
-}
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/FeedItem.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/FeedItem.java
index 87298d4c3..0f0343f25 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/FeedItem.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/FeedItem.java
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@ package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed;
 
 import android.database.Cursor;
 import android.support.annotation.Nullable;
-
 import android.text.TextUtils;
+
 import org.apache.commons.lang3.builder.ToStringBuilder;
 import org.apache.commons.lang3.builder.ToStringStyle;
 
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ public class FeedItem extends FeedComponent implements ShownotesProvider, Flattr
      * in the database. The 'hasChapters' attribute should be used to check if this item has any chapters.
      * */
     private List<Chapter> chapters;
-    private FeedImage image;
+    private String imageUrl;
 
     /*
      *   0: auto download disabled
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ public class FeedItem extends FeedComponent implements ShownotesProvider, Flattr
      * This constructor is used by DBReader.
      * */
     public FeedItem(long id, String title, String link, Date pubDate, String paymentLink, long feedId,
-                    FlattrStatus flattrStatus, boolean hasChapters, FeedImage image, int state,
+                    FlattrStatus flattrStatus, boolean hasChapters, String imageUrl, int state,
                     String itemIdentifier, long autoDownload) {
         this.id = id;
         this.title = title;
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ public class FeedItem extends FeedComponent implements ShownotesProvider, Flattr
         this.feedId = feedId;
         this.flattrStatus = flattrStatus;
         this.hasChapters = hasChapters;
-        this.image = image;
+        this.imageUrl = imageUrl;
         this.state = state;
         this.itemIdentifier = itemIdentifier;
         this.autoDownload = autoDownload;
@@ -158,6 +158,7 @@ public class FeedItem extends FeedComponent implements ShownotesProvider, Flattr
         int indexRead = cursor.getColumnIndex(PodDBAdapter.KEY_READ);
         int indexItemIdentifier = cursor.getColumnIndex(PodDBAdapter.KEY_ITEM_IDENTIFIER);
         int indexAutoDownload = cursor.getColumnIndex(PodDBAdapter.KEY_AUTO_DOWNLOAD);
+        int indexImageUrl = cursor.getColumnIndex(PodDBAdapter.KEY_IMAGE_URL);
 
         long id = cursor.getInt(indexId);
         String title = cursor.getString(indexTitle);
@@ -170,15 +171,16 @@ public class FeedItem extends FeedComponent implements ShownotesProvider, Flattr
         int state = cursor.getInt(indexRead);
         String itemIdentifier = cursor.getString(indexItemIdentifier);
         long autoDownload = cursor.getLong(indexAutoDownload);
+        String imageUrl = cursor.getString(indexImageUrl);
 
         return new FeedItem(id, title, link, pubDate, paymentLink, feedId, flattrStatus,
-                hasChapters, null, state, itemIdentifier, autoDownload);
+                hasChapters, imageUrl, state, itemIdentifier, autoDownload);
     }
 
     public void updateFromOther(FeedItem other) {
         super.updateFromOther(other);
-        if (other.image != null) {
-            this.image = other.image;
+        if (other.imageUrl != null) {
+            this.imageUrl = other.imageUrl;
         }
         if (other.title != null) {
             title = other.title;
@@ -192,7 +194,7 @@ public class FeedItem extends FeedComponent implements ShownotesProvider, Flattr
         if (other.link != null) {
             link = other.link;
         }
-        if (other.pubDate != null && other.pubDate != pubDate) {
+        if (other.pubDate != null && other.pubDate.equals(pubDate)) {
             pubDate = other.pubDate;
         }
         if (other.media != null) {
@@ -212,9 +214,6 @@ public class FeedItem extends FeedComponent implements ShownotesProvider, Flattr
                 chapters = other.chapters;
             }
         }
-        if (image == null) {
-            image = other.image;
-        }
     }
 
     /**
@@ -389,8 +388,8 @@ public class FeedItem extends FeedComponent implements ShownotesProvider, Flattr
     public String getImageLocation() {
         if(media != null && media.hasEmbeddedPicture()) {
             return media.getImageLocation();
-        } else if (image != null) {
-           return image.getImageLocation();
+        } else if (imageUrl != null) {
+           return imageUrl;
         } else if (feed != null) {
             return feed.getImageLocation();
         } else {
@@ -426,29 +425,12 @@ public class FeedItem extends FeedComponent implements ShownotesProvider, Flattr
      * Returns the image of this item or the image of the feed if this item does
      * not have its own image.
      */
-    public FeedImage getImage() {
-        return (hasItemImage()) ? image : feed.getImage();
-    }
-
-    public void setImage(FeedImage image) {
-        this.image = image;
-        if (image != null) {
-            image.setOwner(this);
-        }
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Returns true if this FeedItem has its own image, false otherwise.
-     */
-    public boolean hasItemImage() {
-        return image != null;
+    public String getImageUrl() {
+        return (imageUrl != null) ? imageUrl : feed.getImageUrl();
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Returns true if this FeedItem has its own image and the image has been downloaded.
-     */
-    public boolean hasItemImageDownloaded() {
-        return image != null && image.isDownloaded();
+    public void setImageUrl(String imageUrl) {
+        this.imageUrl = imageUrl;
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/FeedItemFilter.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/FeedItemFilter.java
index 200153876..719383d23 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/FeedItemFilter.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/FeedItemFilter.java
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ import java.util.List;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.DBReader;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.LongList;
 
+import static de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedItem.TAG_FAVORITE;
+
 public class FeedItemFilter {
     private final String[] mProperties;
 
@@ -19,6 +21,7 @@ public class FeedItemFilter {
     private boolean showDownloaded = false;
     private boolean showNotDownloaded = false;
     private boolean showHasMedia = false;
+    private boolean showIsFavorite = false;
 
     public FeedItemFilter(String properties) {
         this(TextUtils.split(properties, ","));
@@ -53,6 +56,9 @@ public class FeedItemFilter {
                 case "has_media":
                     showHasMedia = true;
                     break;
+                case "is_favorite":
+                    showIsFavorite = true;
+                    break;
             }
         }
     }
@@ -88,6 +94,8 @@ public class FeedItemFilter {
 
             if (showHasMedia && !item.hasMedia()) continue;
 
+            if (showIsFavorite && !item.isTagged(TAG_FAVORITE)) continue;
+
             // If the item reaches here, it meets all criteria
             result.add(item);
         }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/FeedMedia.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/FeedMedia.java
index a22422596..f3a43e2d0 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/FeedMedia.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/feed/FeedMedia.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.gpoddernet.model.GpodnetEpisodeAction;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.preferences.GpodnetPreferences;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.preferences.PlaybackPreferences;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.preferences.UserPreferences;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.playback.PlaybackService;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.DBReader;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.DBTasks;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.DBWriter;
@@ -218,7 +219,7 @@ public class FeedMedia extends FeedFile implements Playable {
      * currently being played and the current player status is playing.
      */
     public boolean isCurrentlyPlaying() {
-        return isPlaying() &&
+        return isPlaying() && PlaybackService.isRunning &&
                 ((PlaybackPreferences.getCurrentPlayerStatus() == PlaybackPreferences.PLAYER_STATUS_PLAYING));
     }
 
@@ -531,8 +532,8 @@ public class FeedMedia extends FeedFile implements Playable {
                     UserPreferences.isAutoFlattr() &&
                     item.getPaymentLink() != null &&
                     item.getFlattrStatus().getUnflattred() &&
-                    (completed && autoFlattrThreshold <= 1.0f ||
-                            played_duration >= autoFlattrThreshold * duration)) {
+                    ((completed && autoFlattrThreshold <= 1.0f) ||
+                            (played_duration >= autoFlattrThreshold * duration))) {
                 DBTasks.flattrItemIfLoggedIn(context, item);
             }
         }
@@ -593,7 +594,7 @@ public class FeedMedia extends FeedFile implements Playable {
     @Override
     public void setDownloaded(boolean downloaded) {
         super.setDownloaded(downloaded);
-        if(item != null && downloaded) {
+        if(item != null && downloaded && item.isNew()) {
             item.setPlayed(false);
         }
     }
@@ -625,6 +626,9 @@ public class FeedMedia extends FeedFile implements Playable {
 
     @Override
     public boolean equals(Object o) {
+        if (o == null) {
+            return false;
+        }
         if (FeedMediaFlavorHelper.instanceOfRemoteMedia(o)) {
             return o.equals(this);
         }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/glide/ApGlideModule.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/glide/ApGlideModule.java
index 835dee735..552c1b691 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/glide/ApGlideModule.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/glide/ApGlideModule.java
@@ -2,31 +2,35 @@ package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.glide;
 
 import android.content.Context;
 
+import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
 import com.bumptech.glide.Glide;
 import com.bumptech.glide.GlideBuilder;
+import com.bumptech.glide.Registry;
+import com.bumptech.glide.annotation.GlideModule;
 import com.bumptech.glide.load.DecodeFormat;
 import com.bumptech.glide.load.engine.cache.InternalCacheDiskCacheFactory;
-import com.bumptech.glide.module.GlideModule;
+import com.bumptech.glide.module.AppGlideModule;
 
 import java.io.InputStream;
 
+import com.bumptech.glide.request.RequestOptions;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.preferences.UserPreferences;
 
 /**
  * {@see com.bumptech.glide.integration.okhttp.OkHttpGlideModule}
  */
-public class ApGlideModule implements GlideModule {
+@GlideModule
+public class ApGlideModule extends AppGlideModule {
 
     @Override
-    public void applyOptions(Context context, GlideBuilder builder) {
-        builder.setDecodeFormat(DecodeFormat.PREFER_ARGB_8888);
+    public void applyOptions(@NonNull Context context, @NonNull GlideBuilder builder) {
+        builder.setDefaultRequestOptions(new RequestOptions().format(DecodeFormat.PREFER_ARGB_8888));
         builder.setDiskCache(new InternalCacheDiskCacheFactory(context,
                 UserPreferences.getImageCacheSize()));
     }
 
     @Override
-    public void registerComponents(Context context, Glide glide) {
-        glide.register(String.class, InputStream.class, new ApOkHttpUrlLoader.Factory());
+    public void registerComponents(@NonNull Context context, @NonNull Glide glide, @NonNull Registry registry) {
+        registry.replace(String.class, InputStream.class, new ApOkHttpUrlLoader.Factory());
     }
-
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/glide/ApGlideSettings.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/glide/ApGlideSettings.java
index fc1acd0e1..d0061af99 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/glide/ApGlideSettings.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/glide/ApGlideSettings.java
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import com.bumptech.glide.load.engine.DiskCacheStrategy;
  * The settings that AntennaPod will use for various Glide options
  */
 public class ApGlideSettings {
+    private ApGlideSettings(){}
 
     public static final DiskCacheStrategy AP_DISK_CACHE_STRATEGY = DiskCacheStrategy.ALL;
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/glide/ApOkHttpUrlLoader.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/glide/ApOkHttpUrlLoader.java
index 3e4f06a12..2e742e979 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/glide/ApOkHttpUrlLoader.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/glide/ApOkHttpUrlLoader.java
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.glide;
 
-import android.content.Context;
+import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
+import android.support.annotation.Nullable;
 import android.text.TextUtils;
 import android.util.Log;
 
 import com.bumptech.glide.integration.okhttp3.OkHttpStreamFetcher;
-import com.bumptech.glide.load.data.DataFetcher;
-import com.bumptech.glide.load.model.GenericLoaderFactory;
+import com.bumptech.glide.load.Options;
 import com.bumptech.glide.load.model.GlideUrl;
 import com.bumptech.glide.load.model.ModelLoader;
 import com.bumptech.glide.load.model.ModelLoaderFactory;
@@ -15,14 +15,14 @@ import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.InputStream;
 import java.net.HttpURLConnection;
 
+import com.bumptech.glide.load.model.MultiModelLoaderFactory;
+import com.bumptech.glide.signature.ObjectKey;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.download.AntennapodHttpClient;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.download.HttpDownloader;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.DBReader;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.NetworkUtils;
-import okhttp3.Interceptor;
-import okhttp3.OkHttpClient;
-import okhttp3.Request;
-import okhttp3.Response;
+import okhttp3.*;
+import okhttp3.internal.http.RealResponseBody;
 
 /**
  * @see com.bumptech.glide.integration.okhttp3.OkHttpUrlLoader
@@ -56,19 +56,20 @@ class ApOkHttpUrlLoader implements ModelLoader<String, InputStream> {
         /**
          * Constructor for a new Factory that runs requests using a static singleton client.
          */
-        public Factory() {
+        Factory() {
             this(getInternalClient());
         }
 
         /**
          * Constructor for a new Factory that runs requests using given client.
          */
-        public Factory(OkHttpClient client) {
+        Factory(OkHttpClient client) {
             this.client = client;
         }
 
+        @NonNull
         @Override
-        public ModelLoader<String, InputStream> build(Context context, GenericLoaderFactory factories) {
+        public ModelLoader<String, InputStream> build(@NonNull MultiModelLoaderFactory multiFactory) {
             return new ApOkHttpUrlLoader(client);
         }
 
@@ -84,28 +85,40 @@ class ApOkHttpUrlLoader implements ModelLoader<String, InputStream> {
         this.client = client;
     }
 
+    @Nullable
     @Override
-    public DataFetcher<InputStream> getResourceFetcher(String model, int width, int height) {
-        Log.d(TAG, "getResourceFetcher() called with: " + "model = [" + model + "], width = ["
+    public LoadData<InputStream> buildLoadData(@NonNull String model, int width, int height, @NonNull Options options) {
+        Log.d(TAG, "buildLoadData() called with: " + "model = [" + model + "], width = ["
                 + width + "], height = [" + height + "]");
         if(TextUtils.isEmpty(model)) {
             return null;
         } else if(model.startsWith("/")) {
-            return new AudioCoverFetcher(model);
+            return new LoadData<>(new ObjectKey(model), new AudioCoverFetcher(model));
         } else {
             GlideUrl url = new GlideUrl(model);
-            return new OkHttpStreamFetcher(client, url);
+            return new LoadData<>(new ObjectKey(model), new OkHttpStreamFetcher(client, url));
         }
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public boolean handles(@NonNull String s) {
+        return true;
+    }
+
     private static class NetworkAllowanceInterceptor implements Interceptor {
 
         @Override
         public Response intercept(Chain chain) throws IOException {
-            if (NetworkUtils.isDownloadAllowed()) {
+            if (NetworkUtils.isImageAllowed()) {
                 return chain.proceed(chain.request());
             } else {
-                return null;
+                return new Response.Builder()
+                        .protocol(Protocol.HTTP_2)
+                        .code(420)
+                        .message("Policy Not Fulfilled")
+                        .body(ResponseBody.create(null, new byte[0]))
+                        .request(chain.request())
+                        .build();
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/glide/AudioCoverFetcher.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/glide/AudioCoverFetcher.java
index 8159a1b3e..479846655 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/glide/AudioCoverFetcher.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/glide/AudioCoverFetcher.java
@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@ package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.glide;
 
 import android.media.MediaMetadataRetriever;
 
+import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
 import com.bumptech.glide.Priority;
+import com.bumptech.glide.load.DataSource;
 import com.bumptech.glide.load.data.DataFetcher;
 
 import java.io.ByteArrayInputStream;
@@ -20,22 +22,20 @@ class AudioCoverFetcher implements DataFetcher<InputStream> {
         this.path = path;
     }
 
-    @Override public String getId() {
-        return path;
-    }
-
-    @Override public InputStream loadData(Priority priority) throws Exception {
+    @Override
+    public void loadData(@NonNull Priority priority, @NonNull DataCallback<? super InputStream> callback) {
         MediaMetadataRetriever retriever = new MediaMetadataRetriever();
         try {
             retriever.setDataSource(path);
             byte[] picture = retriever.getEmbeddedPicture();
             if (picture != null) {
-                return new ByteArrayInputStream(picture);
+                callback.onDataReady(new ByteArrayInputStream(picture));
+                return;
             }
         } finally {
             retriever.release();
         }
-        throw new IOException("Loading embedded cover did not work");
+        callback.onLoadFailed(new IOException("Loading embedded cover did not work"));
     }
 
     @Override public void cleanup() {
@@ -44,4 +44,16 @@ class AudioCoverFetcher implements DataFetcher<InputStream> {
     @Override public void cancel() {
         // cannot cancel
     }
+
+    @NonNull
+    @Override
+    public Class<InputStream> getDataClass() {
+        return InputStream.class;
+    }
+
+    @NonNull
+    @Override
+    public DataSource getDataSource() {
+        return DataSource.LOCAL;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/glide/FastBlurTransformation.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/glide/FastBlurTransformation.java
index ee58c2f39..a740782d6 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/glide/FastBlurTransformation.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/glide/FastBlurTransformation.java
@@ -1,13 +1,15 @@
 package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.glide;
 
-import android.content.Context;
 import android.graphics.Bitmap;
 import android.media.ThumbnailUtils;
+import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
 import android.util.Log;
 
 import com.bumptech.glide.load.engine.bitmap_recycle.BitmapPool;
 import com.bumptech.glide.load.resource.bitmap.BitmapTransformation;
 
+import java.security.MessageDigest;
+
 public class FastBlurTransformation extends BitmapTransformation {
 
     private static final String TAG = FastBlurTransformation.class.getSimpleName();
@@ -15,8 +17,8 @@ public class FastBlurTransformation extends BitmapTransformation {
     private static final int STACK_BLUR_RADIUS = 1;
     private static final int BLUR_IMAGE_WIDTH = 150;
 
-    public FastBlurTransformation(Context context) {
-        super(context);
+    public FastBlurTransformation() {
+        super();
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -33,11 +35,6 @@ public class FastBlurTransformation extends BitmapTransformation {
         return result;
     }
 
-    @Override
-    public String getId() {
-        return "FastBlurTransformation[width=" + BLUR_IMAGE_WIDTH + "px,radius=" + STACK_BLUR_RADIUS +"]";
-    }
-
     private static Bitmap fastBlur(Bitmap bitmap, int radius) {
 
         // Stack Blur v1.0 from
@@ -264,4 +261,8 @@ public class FastBlurTransformation extends BitmapTransformation {
         return bitmap;
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public void updateDiskCacheKey(@NonNull MessageDigest messageDigest) {
+        messageDigest.update(TAG.getBytes());
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/gpoddernet/GpodnetService.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/gpoddernet/GpodnetService.java
index 3af5e9080..2588cfdee 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/gpoddernet/GpodnetService.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/gpoddernet/GpodnetService.java
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import java.net.MalformedURLException;
 import java.net.URI;
 import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.net.URL;
+import java.nio.charset.Charset;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.LinkedList;
@@ -587,7 +588,7 @@ public class GpodnetService {
         String result = null;
         ResponseBody body = null;
         try {
-            String credential = Credentials.basic(username, password);
+            String credential = Credentials.basic(username, password, Charset.forName("UTF-8"));
             Request authRequest = request.newBuilder().header("Authorization", credential).build();
             Response response = httpClient.newCall(authRequest).execute();
             checkStatusCode(response);
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/gpoddernet/model/GpodnetEpisodeAction.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/gpoddernet/model/GpodnetEpisodeAction.java
index b76988fd8..330cde525 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/gpoddernet/model/GpodnetEpisodeAction.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/gpoddernet/model/GpodnetEpisodeAction.java
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ public class GpodnetEpisodeAction {
     @Override
     public boolean equals(Object o) {
         if (this == o) return true;
-        if (o == null || getClass() != o.getClass()) return false;
+        if (o == null || !(o instanceof GpodnetEpisodeAction)) return false;
 
         GpodnetEpisodeAction that = (GpodnetEpisodeAction) o;
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/preferences/GpodnetPreferences.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/preferences/GpodnetPreferences.java
index b51b8d996..5b17dd338 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/preferences/GpodnetPreferences.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/preferences/GpodnetPreferences.java
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.GpodnetSyncService;
  */
 public class GpodnetPreferences {
 
+    private GpodnetPreferences(){}
+
     private static final String TAG = "GpodnetPreferences";
 
     private static final String PREF_NAME = "gpodder.net";
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/preferences/SleepTimerPreferences.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/preferences/SleepTimerPreferences.java
index b7ed890f5..0f3a9fcb3 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/preferences/SleepTimerPreferences.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/preferences/SleepTimerPreferences.java
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ public class SleepTimerPreferences {
     private static final String DEFAULT_VALUE = "15";
     private static final int DEFAULT_TIME_UNIT = 1;
 
-    private static Context context;
     private static SharedPreferences prefs;
 
     /**
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/preferences/UserPreferences.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/preferences/UserPreferences.java
index 44b2fa2b2..805f0c1b6 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/preferences/UserPreferences.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/preferences/UserPreferences.java
@@ -8,14 +8,7 @@ import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
 import android.support.v4.app.NotificationCompat;
 import android.text.TextUtils;
 import android.util.Log;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.R;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.download.ProxyConfig;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.APCleanupAlgorithm;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.APNullCleanupAlgorithm;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.APQueueCleanupAlgorithm;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.EpisodeCleanupAlgorithm;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.Converter;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.download.AutoUpdateManager;
+
 import org.json.JSONArray;
 import org.json.JSONException;
 
@@ -27,6 +20,15 @@ import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.R;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.download.ProxyConfig;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.APCleanupAlgorithm;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.APNullCleanupAlgorithm;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.APQueueCleanupAlgorithm;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.EpisodeCleanupAlgorithm;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.Converter;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.download.AutoUpdateManager;
+
 /**
  * Provides access to preferences set by the user in the settings screen. A
  * private instance of this class must first be instantiated via
@@ -34,6 +36,7 @@ import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
  * when called.
  */
 public class UserPreferences {
+    private UserPreferences(){}
 
     private static final String IMPORT_DIR = "import/";
 
@@ -44,11 +47,13 @@ public class UserPreferences {
     public static final String PREF_HIDDEN_DRAWER_ITEMS = "prefHiddenDrawerItems";
     private static final String PREF_DRAWER_FEED_ORDER = "prefDrawerFeedOrder";
     private static final String PREF_DRAWER_FEED_COUNTER = "prefDrawerFeedIndicator";
-    private static final String PREF_EXPANDED_NOTIFICATION = "prefExpandNotify";
+    public static final String PREF_EXPANDED_NOTIFICATION = "prefExpandNotify";
     private static final String PREF_PERSISTENT_NOTIFICATION = "prefPersistNotify";
     public static final String PREF_COMPACT_NOTIFICATION_BUTTONS = "prefCompactNotificationButtons";
     public static final String PREF_LOCKSCREEN_BACKGROUND = "prefLockscreenBackground";
     private static final String PREF_SHOW_DOWNLOAD_REPORT = "prefShowDownloadReport";
+    public static final String PREF_BACK_BUTTON_BEHAVIOR = "prefBackButtonBehavior";
+    private static final String PREF_BACK_BUTTON_GO_TO_PAGE = "prefBackButtonGoToPage";
 
     // Queue
     private static final String PREF_QUEUE_ADD_TO_FRONT = "prefQueueAddToFront";
@@ -72,7 +77,7 @@ public class UserPreferences {
     // Network
     private static final String PREF_ENQUEUE_DOWNLOADED = "prefEnqueueDownloaded";
     public static final String PREF_UPDATE_INTERVAL = "prefAutoUpdateIntervall";
-    private static final String PREF_MOBILE_UPDATE = "prefMobileUpdate";
+    public static final String PREF_MOBILE_UPDATE = "prefMobileUpdateAllowed";
     public static final String PREF_EPISODE_CLEANUP = "prefEpisodeCleanup";
     public static final String PREF_PARALLEL_DOWNLOADS = "prefParallelDownloads";
     public static final String PREF_EPISODE_CACHE_SIZE = "prefEpisodeCacheSize";
@@ -95,9 +100,13 @@ public class UserPreferences {
     // Other
     private static final String PREF_DATA_FOLDER = "prefDataFolder";
     public static final String PREF_IMAGE_CACHE_SIZE = "prefImageCacheSize";
+    public static final String PREF_DELETE_REMOVES_FROM_QUEUE = "prefDeleteRemovesFromQueue";
 
     // Mediaplayer
+    public static final String PREF_MEDIA_PLAYER = "prefMediaPlayer";
+    public static final String PREF_MEDIA_PLAYER_EXOPLAYER = "exoplayer";
     private static final String PREF_PLAYBACK_SPEED = "prefPlaybackSpeed";
+    public static final String PREF_PLAYBACK_SKIP_SILENCE = "prefSkipSilence";
     private static final String PREF_FAST_FORWARD_SECS = "prefFastForwardSecs";
     private static final String PREF_REWIND_SECS = "prefRewindSecs";
     private static final String PREF_QUEUE_LOCKED = "prefQueueLocked";
@@ -107,9 +116,7 @@ public class UserPreferences {
     private static final String PREF_RIGHT_VOLUME = "prefRightVolume";
 
     // Experimental
-    public static final String PREF_SONIC = "prefSonic";
     private static final String PREF_STEREO_TO_MONO = "PrefStereoToMono";
-    public static final String PREF_NORMALIZER = "prefNormalizer";
     public static final String PREF_CAST_ENABLED = "prefCast"; //Used for enabling Chromecast support
     public static final int EPISODE_CLEANUP_QUEUE = -1;
     public static final int EPISODE_CLEANUP_NULL = -2;
@@ -122,7 +129,6 @@ public class UserPreferences {
     private static final int EPISODE_CACHE_SIZE_UNLIMITED = -1;
     public static final int FEED_ORDER_COUNTER = 0;
     public static final int FEED_ORDER_ALPHABETICAL = 1;
-    public static final int FEED_ORDER_LAST_UPDATE = 2;
     public static final int FEED_ORDER_MOST_PLAYED = 3;
     public static final int FEED_COUNTER_SHOW_NEW_UNPLAYED_SUM = 0;
     public static final int FEED_COUNTER_SHOW_NEW = 1;
@@ -161,6 +167,8 @@ public class UserPreferences {
         int theme = getTheme();
         if (theme == R.style.Theme_AntennaPod_Dark) {
             return R.style.Theme_AntennaPod_Dark_NoTitle;
+        } else if (theme == R.style.Theme_AntennaPod_TrueBlack) {
+            return R.style.Theme_AntennaPod_TrueBlack_NoTitle;
         } else {
             return R.style.Theme_AntennaPod_Light_NoTitle;
         }
@@ -304,6 +312,10 @@ public class UserPreferences {
         return Integer.parseInt(prefs.getString(PREF_SMART_MARK_AS_PLAYED_SECS, "30"));
     }
 
+    public static boolean shouldDeleteRemoveFromQueue() {
+        return prefs.getBoolean(PREF_DELETE_REMOVES_FROM_QUEUE, false);
+    }
+
     public static boolean isAutoFlattr() {
         return prefs.getBoolean(PREF_AUTO_FLATTR, false);
     }
@@ -312,6 +324,10 @@ public class UserPreferences {
         return prefs.getString(PREF_PLAYBACK_SPEED, "1.00");
     }
 
+    public static boolean isSkipSilence() {
+        return prefs.getBoolean(PREF_PLAYBACK_SKIP_SILENCE, false);
+    }
+
     public static String[] getPlaybackSpeedArray() {
         return readPlaybackSpeedArray(prefs.getString(PREF_PLAYBACK_SPEED_ARRAY, null));
     }
@@ -364,8 +380,16 @@ public class UserPreferences {
         }
     }
 
+    public static String getMobileUpdatesEnabled() {
+        return prefs.getString(PREF_MOBILE_UPDATE, "images");
+    }
+
     public static boolean isAllowMobileUpdate() {
-        return prefs.getBoolean(PREF_MOBILE_UPDATE, false);
+        return getMobileUpdatesEnabled().equals("everything");
+    }
+
+    public static boolean isAllowMobileImages() {
+        return isAllowMobileUpdate() || getMobileUpdatesEnabled().equals("images");
     }
 
     public static int getParallelDownloads() {
@@ -498,6 +522,12 @@ public class UserPreferences {
              .apply();
     }
 
+    public static void setSkipSilence(boolean skipSilence) {
+        prefs.edit()
+                .putBoolean(PREF_PLAYBACK_SKIP_SILENCE, skipSilence)
+                .apply();
+    }
+
     public static void setPlaybackSpeedArray(String[] speeds) {
         JSONArray jsonArray = new JSONArray();
         for (String speed : speeds) {
@@ -597,6 +627,8 @@ public class UserPreferences {
                 return R.style.Theme_AntennaPod_Light;
             case 1:
                 return R.style.Theme_AntennaPod_Dark;
+            case 2:
+                return R.style.Theme_AntennaPod_TrueBlack;
             default:
                 return R.style.Theme_AntennaPod_Light;
         }
@@ -636,13 +668,15 @@ public class UserPreferences {
     }
 
     public static boolean useSonic() {
-        return prefs.getBoolean(PREF_SONIC, false);
+        return prefs.getString(PREF_MEDIA_PLAYER, "sonic").equals("sonic");
     }
 
-    public static void enableSonic(boolean enable) {
-        prefs.edit()
-            .putBoolean(PREF_SONIC, enable)
-            .apply();
+    public static boolean useExoplayer() {
+        return prefs.getString(PREF_MEDIA_PLAYER, "sonic").equals(PREF_MEDIA_PLAYER_EXOPLAYER);
+    }
+
+    public static void enableSonic() {
+        prefs.edit().putString(PREF_MEDIA_PLAYER, "sonic").apply();
     }
 
     public static boolean stereoToMono() {
@@ -665,7 +699,7 @@ public class UserPreferences {
     }
 
     public static EpisodeCleanupAlgorithm getEpisodeCleanupAlgorithm() {
-        int cleanupValue = Integer.parseInt(prefs.getString(PREF_EPISODE_CLEANUP, "-1"));
+        int cleanupValue = getEpisodeCleanupValue();
         if (cleanupValue == EPISODE_CLEANUP_QUEUE) {
             return new APQueueCleanupAlgorithm();
         } else if (cleanupValue == EPISODE_CLEANUP_NULL) {
@@ -675,6 +709,16 @@ public class UserPreferences {
         }
     }
 
+    public static int getEpisodeCleanupValue() {
+        return Integer.parseInt(prefs.getString(PREF_EPISODE_CLEANUP, "-1"));
+    }
+
+    public static void setEpisodeCleanupValue(int episodeCleanupValue) {
+        prefs.edit()
+                .putString(PREF_EPISODE_CLEANUP, Integer.toString(episodeCleanupValue))
+                .apply();
+    }
+
     /**
      * Return the folder where the app stores all of its data. This method will
      * return the standard data folder if none has been set by the user.
@@ -802,4 +846,29 @@ public class UserPreferences {
     public enum VideoBackgroundBehavior {
         STOP, PICTURE_IN_PICTURE, CONTINUE_PLAYING
     }
+
+    public enum BackButtonBehavior {
+        DEFAULT, OPEN_DRAWER, DOUBLE_TAP, SHOW_PROMPT, GO_TO_PAGE
+    }
+
+    public static BackButtonBehavior getBackButtonBehavior() {
+        switch (prefs.getString(PREF_BACK_BUTTON_BEHAVIOR, "default")) {
+            case "default": return BackButtonBehavior.DEFAULT;
+            case "drawer": return BackButtonBehavior.OPEN_DRAWER;
+            case "doubletap": return BackButtonBehavior.DOUBLE_TAP;
+            case "prompt": return BackButtonBehavior.SHOW_PROMPT;
+            case "page": return BackButtonBehavior.GO_TO_PAGE;
+            default: return BackButtonBehavior.DEFAULT;
+        }
+    }
+
+    public static String getBackButtonGoToPage() {
+        return prefs.getString(PREF_BACK_BUTTON_GO_TO_PAGE, "QueueFragment");
+    }
+
+    public static void setBackButtonGoToPage(String tag) {
+        prefs.edit()
+                .putString(PREF_BACK_BUTTON_GO_TO_PAGE, tag)
+                .apply();
+    }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/receiver/PlayerWidget.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/receiver/PlayerWidget.java
index edc2ea3e0..7663cdbe4 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/receiver/PlayerWidget.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/receiver/PlayerWidget.java
@@ -6,10 +6,11 @@ import android.content.Context;
 import android.content.Intent;
 import android.content.SharedPreferences;
 import android.util.Log;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.PlayerWidgetJobService;
 
 import java.util.Arrays;
 
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.PlayerWidgetJobService;
+
 
 public class PlayerWidget extends AppWidgetProvider {
     private static final String TAG = "PlayerWidget";
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/FeedUpdateJobService.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/FeedUpdateJobService.java
index 55a8d6b86..7d80d4e7c 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/FeedUpdateJobService.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/FeedUpdateJobService.java
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import android.app.job.JobService;
 import android.os.Build;
 import android.support.annotation.RequiresApi;
 import android.util.Log;
+
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.ClientConfig;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.preferences.UserPreferences;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.FeedUpdateUtils;
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/GpodnetSyncService.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/GpodnetSyncService.java
index de040603d..5584991ca 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/GpodnetSyncService.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/GpodnetSyncService.java
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ import android.app.PendingIntent;
 import android.content.Context;
 import android.content.Intent;
 import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
-import android.support.v4.app.JobIntentService;
 import android.support.v4.app.NotificationCompat;
+import android.support.v4.app.SafeJobIntentService;
 import android.support.v4.util.ArrayMap;
 import android.util.Log;
 import android.util.Pair;
@@ -44,7 +44,8 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.gui.NotificationUtils;
  * Synchronizes local subscriptions with gpodder.net service. The service should be started with ACTION_SYNC as an action argument.
  * This class also provides static methods for starting the GpodnetSyncService.
  */
-public class GpodnetSyncService extends JobIntentService {
+public class GpodnetSyncService extends SafeJobIntentService {
+
     private static final String TAG = "GpodnetSyncService";
 
     private static final long WAIT_INTERVAL = 5000L;
@@ -61,8 +62,10 @@ public class GpodnetSyncService extends JobIntentService {
     private static boolean syncSubscriptions = false;
     private static boolean syncActions = false;
 
+    private static final int JOB_ID = -17000;
+
     private static void enqueueWork(Context context, Intent intent) {
-        enqueueWork(context, GpodnetSyncService.class, 0, intent);
+        enqueueWork(context, GpodnetSyncService.class, JOB_ID, intent);
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/PlayerWidgetJobService.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/PlayerWidgetJobService.java
index 4948912ca..dbf80cf37 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/PlayerWidgetJobService.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/PlayerWidgetJobService.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import android.graphics.Bitmap;
 import android.os.Build;
 import android.os.IBinder;
 import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
-import android.support.v4.app.JobIntentService;
+import android.support.v4.app.SafeJobIntentService;
 import android.util.Log;
 import android.view.KeyEvent;
 import android.view.View;
@@ -21,23 +21,26 @@ import com.bumptech.glide.Glide;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.R;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.glide.ApGlideSettings;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.receiver.MediaButtonReceiver;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.receiver.PlayerWidget;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.playback.PlaybackService;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.playback.PlayerStatus;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.Converter;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.playback.Playable;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.receiver.PlayerWidget;
 
 /**
  * Updates the state of the player widget
  */
-public class PlayerWidgetJobService extends JobIntentService {
+public class PlayerWidgetJobService extends SafeJobIntentService {
+
     private static final String TAG = "PlayerWidgetJobService";
 
     private PlaybackService playbackService;
     private final Object waitForService = new Object();
 
+    private static final int JOB_ID = -17001;
+
     public static void updateWidget(Context context) {
-        enqueueWork(context, PlayerWidgetJobService.class, 0, new Intent(context, PlayerWidgetJobService.class));
+        enqueueWork(context, PlayerWidgetJobService.class, JOB_ID, new Intent(context, PlayerWidgetJobService.class));
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -46,8 +49,8 @@ public class PlayerWidgetJobService extends JobIntentService {
             return;
         }
 
-        if (PlaybackService.isRunning && playbackService == null) {
-            synchronized (waitForService) {
+        synchronized (waitForService) {
+            if (PlaybackService.isRunning && playbackService == null) {
                 bindService(new Intent(this, PlaybackService.class), mConnection, 0);
                 while (playbackService == null) {
                     try {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/AntennapodHttpClient.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/AntennapodHttpClient.java
index 57d099dfc..97007a214 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/AntennapodHttpClient.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/AntennapodHttpClient.java
@@ -40,6 +40,9 @@ import okhttp3.internal.http.StatusLine;
  * Provides access to a HttpClient singleton.
  */
 public class AntennapodHttpClient {
+
+    private AntennapodHttpClient(){}
+
     private static final String TAG = "AntennapodHttpClient";
 
     private static final int CONNECTION_TIMEOUT = 30000;
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/DownloadRequest.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/DownloadRequest.java
index 9a64bebf7..48234c387 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/DownloadRequest.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/DownloadRequest.java
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ public class DownloadRequest implements Parcelable {
     @Override
     public boolean equals(Object o) {
         if (this == o) return true;
-        if (o == null || getClass() != o.getClass()) return false;
+        if (o == null || !(o instanceof DownloadRequest)) return false;
 
         DownloadRequest that = (DownloadRequest) o;
 
@@ -211,10 +211,6 @@ public class DownloadRequest implements Parcelable {
         this.size = size;
     }
 
-    public int getStatusMsg() {
-        return statusMsg;
-    }
-
     public void setStatusMsg(int statusMsg) {
         this.statusMsg = statusMsg;
     }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/DownloadService.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/DownloadService.java
index 9c2266622..ae1e9de86 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/DownloadService.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/DownloadService.java
@@ -13,14 +13,12 @@ import android.os.Build;
 import android.os.Handler;
 import android.os.IBinder;
 import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
-import android.support.annotation.VisibleForTesting;
 import android.support.v4.app.NotificationCompat;
 import android.text.TextUtils;
 import android.util.Log;
 import android.util.Pair;
 import android.webkit.URLUtil;
 
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.gui.NotificationUtils;
 import org.apache.commons.io.FileUtils;
 import org.xml.sax.SAXException;
 
@@ -30,10 +28,8 @@ import java.net.HttpURLConnection;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.Date;
-import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.LinkedList;
 import java.util.List;
-import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.concurrent.BlockingQueue;
 import java.util.concurrent.Callable;
 import java.util.concurrent.CompletionService;
@@ -55,7 +51,6 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.R;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.event.DownloadEvent;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.event.FeedItemEvent;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.Feed;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedImage;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedItem;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedMedia;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedPreferences;
@@ -75,6 +70,7 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.syndication.handler.UnsupportedFeedtypeExceptio
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.ChapterUtils;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.DownloadError;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.InvalidFeedException;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.gui.NotificationUtils;
 import de.greenrobot.event.EventBus;
 
 /**
@@ -117,11 +113,6 @@ public class DownloadService extends Service {
     private CompletionService<Downloader> downloadExecutor;
     private FeedSyncThread feedSyncThread;
 
-    /**
-     * Number of threads of downloadExecutor.
-     */
-    private static final int NUM_PARALLEL_DOWNLOADS = 6;
-
     private DownloadRequester requester;
 
 
@@ -489,9 +480,7 @@ public class DownloadService extends Service {
             if (status.isSuccessful()) {
                 successfulDownloads++;
             } else if (!status.isCancelled()) {
-                if (status.getFeedfileType() != FeedImage.FEEDFILETYPE_FEEDIMAGE) {
-                    createReport = true;
-                }
+                createReport = true;
                 failedDownloads++;
             }
         }
@@ -688,10 +677,6 @@ public class DownloadService extends Service {
 
                 Log.d(TAG, "Bundling " + results.size() + " feeds");
 
-                for (Pair<DownloadRequest, FeedHandlerResult> result : results) {
-                    removeDuplicateImages(result.second.feed); // duplicate images have to removed because the DownloadRequester does not accept two downloads with the same download URL yet.
-                }
-
                 // Save information of feed in DB
                 if (dbUpdateFuture != null) {
                     try {
@@ -866,22 +851,6 @@ public class DownloadService extends Service {
             return true;
         }
 
-        /**
-         * Delete files that aren't needed anymore
-         */
-        private void cleanup(Feed feed) {
-            if (feed.getFile_url() != null) {
-                if (new File(feed.getFile_url()).delete()) {
-                    Log.d(TAG, "Successfully deleted cache file.");
-                } else {
-                    Log.e(TAG, "Failed to delete cache file.");
-                }
-                feed.setFile_url(null);
-            } else {
-                Log.d(TAG, "Didn't delete cache file: File url is not set.");
-            }
-        }
-
         public void shutdown() {
             isActive = false;
             if (isCollectingRequests) {
@@ -1101,26 +1070,6 @@ public class DownloadService extends Service {
         }
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Checks if the FeedItems of this feed have images that point to the same URL. If two FeedItems
-     * have an image that points to the same URL, the reference of the second item is removed, so
-     * that every image reference is unique.
-     */
-    @VisibleForTesting
-    static void removeDuplicateImages(Feed feed) {
-        Set<String> known = new HashSet<>();
-        for (FeedItem item : feed.getItems()) {
-            String url = item.hasItemImage() ? item.getImage().getDownload_url() : null;
-            if (url != null) {
-                if (known.contains(url)) {
-                    item.setImage(null);
-                } else {
-                    known.add(url);
-                }
-            }
-        }
-    }
-
     private static String compileNotificationString(List<Downloader> downloads) {
         List<String> lines = new ArrayList<>(downloads.size());
         for (Downloader downloader : downloads) {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/Downloader.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/Downloader.java
index 445210d3a..38b93eab8 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/Downloader.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/Downloader.java
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.download;
 
 import android.content.Context;
 import android.net.wifi.WifiManager;
+import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
 
 import java.util.concurrent.Callable;
 
@@ -18,10 +19,12 @@ public abstract class Downloader implements Callable<Downloader> {
 
     volatile boolean cancelled;
 
+    @NonNull
     final DownloadRequest request;
+    @NonNull
     final DownloadStatus result;
 
-    Downloader(DownloadRequest request) {
+    Downloader(@NonNull DownloadRequest request) {
         super();
         this.request = request;
         this.request.setStatusMsg(R.string.download_pending);
@@ -54,10 +57,12 @@ public abstract class Downloader implements Callable<Downloader> {
         return this;
     }
 
+    @NonNull
     public DownloadRequest getDownloadRequest() {
         return request;
     }
 
+    @NonNull
     public DownloadStatus getResult() {
         return result;
     }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/DownloaderCallback.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/DownloaderCallback.java
deleted file mode 100644
index b0829f084..000000000
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/DownloaderCallback.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.download;
-
-/**
- * Callback used by the Downloader-classes to notify the requester that the
- * download has completed.
- */
-public interface DownloaderCallback {
-
-	void onDownloadCompleted(Downloader downloader);
-}
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/HttpDownloader.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/HttpDownloader.java
index 7ab0931d6..c27cefc10 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/HttpDownloader.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/download/HttpDownloader.java
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.download;
 
+import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
 import android.text.TextUtils;
 import android.util.Log;
 
@@ -20,7 +21,6 @@ import java.util.Date;
 
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.ClientConfig;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.R;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedImage;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedMedia;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.DateUtils;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.DownloadError;
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ public class HttpDownloader extends Downloader {
 
     private static final int BUFFER_SIZE = 8 * 1024;
 
-    public HttpDownloader(DownloadRequest request) {
+    public HttpDownloader(@NonNull DownloadRequest request) {
         super(request);
     }
 
@@ -50,13 +50,8 @@ public class HttpDownloader extends Downloader {
 
         if (request.isDeleteOnFailure() && fileExists) {
             Log.w(TAG, "File already exists");
-            if (request.getFeedfileType() != FeedImage.FEEDFILETYPE_FEEDIMAGE) {
-                onFail(DownloadError.ERROR_FILE_EXISTS, null);
-                return;
-            } else {
-                onSuccess();
-                return;
-            }
+            onSuccess();
+            return;
         }
 
         OkHttpClient.Builder httpClientBuilder = AntennapodHttpClient.newBuilder();
@@ -310,7 +305,7 @@ public class HttpDownloader extends Downloader {
             String encoded = ByteString.of(bytes).base64();
             return "Basic " + encoded;
         } catch (UnsupportedEncodingException e) {
-            throw new AssertionError();
+            throw new AssertionError(e);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/playback/ExoPlayerWrapper.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/playback/ExoPlayerWrapper.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..281bd064b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/playback/ExoPlayerWrapper.java
@@ -0,0 +1,249 @@
+package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.playback;
+
+import android.content.Context;
+import android.net.Uri;
+import android.view.SurfaceHolder;
+
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.C;
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.DefaultLoadControl;
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.DefaultRenderersFactory;
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.ExoPlaybackException;
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.ExoPlayerFactory;
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.PlaybackParameters;
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.Player;
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.SeekParameters;
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.SimpleExoPlayer;
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.Timeline;
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.audio.AudioAttributes;
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.source.ExtractorMediaSource;
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.source.MediaSource;
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.source.TrackGroupArray;
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.trackselection.DefaultTrackSelector;
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.trackselection.TrackSelectionArray;
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.upstream.DataSource;
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.upstream.DefaultDataSourceFactory;
+import com.google.android.exoplayer2.util.Util;
+
+import org.antennapod.audio.MediaPlayer;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.playback.IPlayer;
+
+
+public class ExoPlayerWrapper implements IPlayer {
+    private final Context mContext;
+    private SimpleExoPlayer mExoPlayer;
+    private MediaSource mediaSource;
+    private MediaPlayer.OnSeekCompleteListener audioSeekCompleteListener;
+    private MediaPlayer.OnCompletionListener audioCompletionListener;
+    private MediaPlayer.OnErrorListener audioErrorListener;
+
+    ExoPlayerWrapper(Context context) {
+        mContext = context;
+        mExoPlayer = createPlayer();
+    }
+
+    private SimpleExoPlayer createPlayer() {
+        SimpleExoPlayer p = ExoPlayerFactory.newSimpleInstance(mContext, new DefaultRenderersFactory(mContext),
+                new DefaultTrackSelector(), new DefaultLoadControl());
+        p.setSeekParameters(SeekParameters.PREVIOUS_SYNC);
+        p.addListener(new Player.EventListener() {
+            @Override
+            public void onTimelineChanged(Timeline timeline, Object manifest, int reason) {
+
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onTracksChanged(TrackGroupArray trackGroups, TrackSelectionArray trackSelections) {
+
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onLoadingChanged(boolean isLoading) {
+
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onPlayerStateChanged(boolean playWhenReady, int playbackState) {
+                if (playbackState == Player.STATE_ENDED) {
+                    audioCompletionListener.onCompletion(null);
+                }
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onRepeatModeChanged(int repeatMode) {
+
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onShuffleModeEnabledChanged(boolean shuffleModeEnabled) {
+
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onPlayerError(ExoPlaybackException error) {
+                if (audioErrorListener != null) {
+                    audioErrorListener.onError(null, 0, 0);
+                }
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onPositionDiscontinuity(int reason) {
+
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onPlaybackParametersChanged(PlaybackParameters playbackParameters) {
+
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onSeekProcessed() {
+                audioSeekCompleteListener.onSeekComplete(null);
+            }
+        });
+        return p;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean canSetSpeed() {
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean canDownmix() {
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public int getCurrentPosition() {
+        return (int) mExoPlayer.getCurrentPosition();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public float getCurrentSpeedMultiplier() {
+        return mExoPlayer.getPlaybackParameters().speed;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public int getDuration() {
+        if (mExoPlayer.getDuration() == C.TIME_UNSET) {
+            return PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer.INVALID_TIME;
+        }
+        return (int) mExoPlayer.getDuration();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean isPlaying() {
+        return mExoPlayer.getPlayWhenReady();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void pause() {
+        mExoPlayer.setPlayWhenReady(false);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void prepare() throws IllegalStateException {
+        mExoPlayer.prepare(mediaSource);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void release() {
+        if (mExoPlayer != null) {
+            mExoPlayer.release();
+        }
+        audioSeekCompleteListener = null;
+        audioCompletionListener = null;
+        audioErrorListener = null;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void reset() {
+        mExoPlayer.release();
+        mExoPlayer = createPlayer();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void seekTo(int i) throws IllegalStateException {
+        mExoPlayer.seekTo(i);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void setAudioStreamType(int i) {
+        AudioAttributes a = mExoPlayer.getAudioAttributes();
+        AudioAttributes.Builder b = new AudioAttributes.Builder();
+        b.setContentType(i);
+        b.setFlags(a.flags);
+        b.setUsage(a.usage);
+        mExoPlayer.setAudioAttributes(b.build());
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void setDataSource(String s) throws IllegalArgumentException, IllegalStateException {
+        DataSource.Factory dataSourceFactory =
+                new DefaultDataSourceFactory(mContext, Util.getUserAgent(mContext, mContext.getPackageName()), null);
+        ExtractorMediaSource.Factory f = new ExtractorMediaSource.Factory(dataSourceFactory);
+        mediaSource = f.createMediaSource(Uri.parse(s));
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void setDisplay(SurfaceHolder sh) {
+        mExoPlayer.setVideoSurfaceHolder(sh);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void setPlaybackParams(float speed, boolean skipSilence) {
+        PlaybackParameters params = mExoPlayer.getPlaybackParameters();
+        mExoPlayer.setPlaybackParameters(new PlaybackParameters(speed, params.pitch, skipSilence));
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void setDownmix(boolean b) {
+
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void setVolume(float v, float v1) {
+        mExoPlayer.setVolume(v);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void setWakeMode(Context context, int i) {
+
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void start() {
+        mExoPlayer.setPlayWhenReady(true);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void stop() {
+        mExoPlayer.stop();
+    }
+
+    void setOnCompletionListener(MediaPlayer.OnCompletionListener audioCompletionListener) {
+        this.audioCompletionListener = audioCompletionListener;
+    }
+
+    void setOnSeekCompleteListener(MediaPlayer.OnSeekCompleteListener audioSeekCompleteListener) {
+        this.audioSeekCompleteListener = audioSeekCompleteListener;
+    }
+
+    void setOnErrorListener(MediaPlayer.OnErrorListener audioErrorListener) {
+        this.audioErrorListener = audioErrorListener;
+    }
+
+    int getVideoWidth() {
+        if (mExoPlayer.getVideoFormat() == null) {
+            return 0;
+        }
+        return mExoPlayer.getVideoFormat().width;
+    }
+
+    int getVideoHeight() {
+        if (mExoPlayer.getVideoFormat() == null) {
+            return 0;
+        }
+        return mExoPlayer.getVideoFormat().height;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/playback/LocalPSMP.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/playback/LocalPSMP.java
index 0e64f484f..9274b9a49 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/playback/LocalPSMP.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/playback/LocalPSMP.java
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.playback;
 
 import android.content.Context;
+import android.media.AudioAttributes;
+import android.media.AudioFocusRequest;
 import android.media.AudioManager;
+import android.os.Build;
 import android.os.PowerManager;
 import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
 import android.telephony.TelephonyManager;
@@ -202,9 +205,26 @@ public class LocalPSMP extends PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer {
 
     private void resumeSync() {
         if (playerStatus == PlayerStatus.PAUSED || playerStatus == PlayerStatus.PREPARED) {
-            int focusGained = audioManager.requestAudioFocus(
-                    audioFocusChangeListener, AudioManager.STREAM_MUSIC,
-                    AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_GAIN);
+            int focusGained;
+
+            if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.O) {
+                AudioAttributes audioAttributes = new AudioAttributes.Builder()
+                        .setUsage(AudioAttributes.USAGE_MEDIA)
+                        .setContentType(AudioAttributes.CONTENT_TYPE_SPEECH)
+                        .build();
+                AudioFocusRequest audioFocusRequest = new AudioFocusRequest.Builder(AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_GAIN)
+                        .setAudioAttributes(audioAttributes)
+                        .setOnAudioFocusChangeListener(audioFocusChangeListener)
+                        .setAcceptsDelayedFocusGain(true)
+                        .setWillPauseWhenDucked(true)
+                        .build();
+                focusGained = audioManager.requestAudioFocus(audioFocusRequest);
+            } else {
+                focusGained = audioManager.requestAudioFocus(
+                        audioFocusChangeListener, AudioManager.STREAM_MUSIC,
+                        AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_GAIN);
+            }
+
             if (focusGained == AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_REQUEST_GRANTED) {
                 Log.d(TAG, "Audiofocus successfully requested");
                 Log.d(TAG, "Resuming/Starting playback");
@@ -216,7 +236,7 @@ public class LocalPSMP extends PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer {
                     Log.e(TAG, Log.getStackTraceString(e));
                     UserPreferences.setPlaybackSpeed(String.valueOf(speed));
                 }
-                setSpeed(speed);
+                setPlaybackParams(speed, UserPreferences.isSkipSilence());
                 setVolume(UserPreferences.getLeftVolume(), UserPreferences.getRightVolume());
 
                 if (playerStatus == PlayerStatus.PREPARED && media.getPosition() > 0) {
@@ -259,7 +279,13 @@ public class LocalPSMP extends PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer {
                 setPlayerStatus(PlayerStatus.PAUSED, media, getPosition());
 
                 if (abandonFocus) {
-                    audioManager.abandonAudioFocus(audioFocusChangeListener);
+                    if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.O) {
+                        AudioFocusRequest.Builder builder = new AudioFocusRequest.Builder(AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_GAIN)
+                                .setOnAudioFocusChangeListener(audioFocusChangeListener);
+                        audioManager.abandonAudioFocusRequest(builder.build());
+                    } else {
+                        audioManager.abandonAudioFocus(audioFocusChangeListener);
+                    }
                     pausedBecauseOfTransientAudiofocusLoss = false;
                 }
                 if (stream && reinit) {
@@ -313,7 +339,10 @@ public class LocalPSMP extends PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer {
 
         Log.d(TAG, "Resource prepared");
 
-        if (mediaType == MediaType.VIDEO) {
+        if (mediaType == MediaType.VIDEO && mediaPlayer instanceof ExoPlayerWrapper) {
+            ExoPlayerWrapper vp = (ExoPlayerWrapper) mediaPlayer;
+            videoSize = new Pair<>(vp.getVideoWidth(), vp.getVideoHeight());
+        } else if(mediaType == MediaType.VIDEO && mediaPlayer instanceof VideoPlayer) {
             VideoPlayer vp = (VideoPlayer) mediaPlayer;
             videoSize = new Pair<>(vp.getVideoWidth(), vp.getVideoHeight());
         }
@@ -447,7 +476,8 @@ public class LocalPSMP extends PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer {
                 || playerStatus == PlayerStatus.PAUSED
                 || playerStatus == PlayerStatus.PREPARED) {
             retVal = mediaPlayer.getDuration();
-        } else if (media != null && media.getDuration() > 0) {
+        }
+        if (retVal <= 0 && media != null && media.getDuration() > 0) {
             retVal = media.getDuration();
         }
 
@@ -507,14 +537,14 @@ public class LocalPSMP extends PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer {
      * Sets the playback speed.
      * This method is executed on the caller's thread.
      */
-    private void setSpeedSync(float speed) {
+    private void setSpeedSyncAndSkipSilence(float speed, boolean skipSilence) {
         playerLock.lock();
         if (media != null && media.getMediaType() == MediaType.AUDIO) {
             if (mediaPlayer.canSetSpeed()) {
-                mediaPlayer.setPlaybackSpeed(speed);
                 Log.d(TAG, "Playback speed was set to " + speed);
                 callback.playbackSpeedChanged(speed);
             }
+            mediaPlayer.setPlaybackParams(speed, skipSilence);
         }
         playerLock.unlock();
     }
@@ -524,8 +554,8 @@ public class LocalPSMP extends PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer {
      * This method is executed on an internal executor service.
      */
     @Override
-    public void setSpeed(final float speed) {
-        executor.submit(() -> setSpeedSync(speed));
+    public void setPlaybackParams(final float speed, final boolean skipSilence) {
+        executor.submit(() -> setSpeedSyncAndSkipSilence(speed, skipSilence));
     }
 
     /**
@@ -610,13 +640,29 @@ public class LocalPSMP extends PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer {
         executor.shutdown();
         if (mediaPlayer != null) {
             try {
-                mediaPlayer.stop();
+                removeMediaPlayerErrorListener();
+                if (mediaPlayer.isPlaying()) {
+                    mediaPlayer.stop();
+                }
             } catch (Exception ignore) { }
             mediaPlayer.release();
         }
         releaseWifiLockIfNecessary();
     }
 
+    private void removeMediaPlayerErrorListener() {
+        if (mediaPlayer instanceof VideoPlayer) {
+            VideoPlayer vp = (VideoPlayer) mediaPlayer;
+            vp.setOnErrorListener((mp, what, extra) -> true);
+        } else if (mediaPlayer instanceof AudioPlayer) {
+            AudioPlayer ap = (AudioPlayer) mediaPlayer;
+            ap.setOnErrorListener((mediaPlayer, i, i1) -> true);
+        } else if (mediaPlayer instanceof ExoPlayerWrapper) {
+            ExoPlayerWrapper ap = (ExoPlayerWrapper) mediaPlayer;
+            ap.setOnErrorListener((mediaPlayer, i, i1) -> true);
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * Releases internally used resources. This method should only be called when the object is not used anymore.
      * This method is executed on an internal executor service.
@@ -669,6 +715,10 @@ public class LocalPSMP extends PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer {
         Pair<Integer, Integer> res;
         if (mediaPlayer == null || playerStatus == PlayerStatus.ERROR || mediaType != MediaType.VIDEO) {
             res = null;
+        } else if (mediaPlayer instanceof ExoPlayerWrapper) {
+            ExoPlayerWrapper vp = (ExoPlayerWrapper) mediaPlayer;
+            videoSize = new Pair<>(vp.getVideoWidth(), vp.getVideoHeight());
+            res = videoSize;
         } else {
             VideoPlayer vp = (VideoPlayer) mediaPlayer;
             videoSize = new Pair<>(vp.getVideoWidth(), vp.getVideoHeight());
@@ -698,15 +748,19 @@ public class LocalPSMP extends PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer {
         if (mediaPlayer != null) {
             mediaPlayer.release();
         }
-        if(media == null) {
+        if (media == null) {
             mediaPlayer = null;
             return;
         }
-        if (media.getMediaType() == MediaType.VIDEO) {
+
+        if (UserPreferences.useExoplayer()) {
+            mediaPlayer = new ExoPlayerWrapper(context);
+        } else if (media.getMediaType() == MediaType.VIDEO) {
             mediaPlayer = new VideoPlayer();
         } else {
             mediaPlayer = new AudioPlayer(context);
         }
+
         mediaPlayer.setAudioStreamType(AudioManager.STREAM_MUSIC);
         mediaPlayer.setWakeMode(context, PowerManager.PARTIAL_WAKE_LOCK);
         setMediaPlayerListeners(mediaPlayer);
@@ -787,7 +841,14 @@ public class LocalPSMP extends PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer {
             if (mediaPlayer != null) {
                 mediaPlayer.reset();
             }
-            audioManager.abandonAudioFocus(audioFocusChangeListener);
+
+            if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.O) {
+                AudioFocusRequest.Builder builder = new AudioFocusRequest.Builder(AudioManager.AUDIOFOCUS_GAIN)
+                        .setOnAudioFocusChangeListener(audioFocusChangeListener);
+                audioManager.abandonAudioFocusRequest(builder.build());
+            } else {
+                audioManager.abandonAudioFocus(audioFocusChangeListener);
+            }
 
             final Playable currentMedia = media;
             Playable nextMedia = null;
@@ -883,6 +944,11 @@ public class LocalPSMP extends PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer {
             ap.setOnBufferingUpdateListener(audioBufferingUpdateListener);
             ap.setOnInfoListener(audioInfoListener);
             ap.setOnSpeedAdjustmentAvailableChangedListener(audioSetSpeedAbilityListener);
+        } else if (mp instanceof ExoPlayerWrapper) {
+            ExoPlayerWrapper ap = (ExoPlayerWrapper) mp;
+            ap.setOnCompletionListener(audioCompletionListener);
+            ap.setOnSeekCompleteListener(audioSeekCompleteListener);
+            ap.setOnErrorListener(audioErrorListener);
         } else {
             Log.w(TAG, "Unknown media player: " + mp);
         }
@@ -925,7 +991,7 @@ public class LocalPSMP extends PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer {
 
     private final MediaPlayer.OnErrorListener audioErrorListener =
             (mp, what, extra) -> {
-                if(mp.canFallback()) {
+                if(mp != null && mp.canFallback()) {
                     mp.fallback();
                     return true;
                 } else {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/playback/PlaybackService.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/playback/PlaybackService.java
index be6cb346d..7fe93a162 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/playback/PlaybackService.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/playback/PlaybackService.java
@@ -24,13 +24,14 @@ import android.os.Vibrator;
 import android.preference.PreferenceManager;
 import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
 import android.support.annotation.StringRes;
+import android.support.v4.app.NotificationCompat;
+import android.support.v4.content.ContextCompat;
 import android.support.v4.media.MediaBrowserCompat;
 import android.support.v4.media.MediaBrowserServiceCompat;
 import android.support.v4.media.MediaDescriptionCompat;
 import android.support.v4.media.MediaMetadataCompat;
 import android.support.v4.media.session.MediaSessionCompat;
 import android.support.v4.media.session.PlaybackStateCompat;
-import android.support.v4.app.NotificationCompat;
 import android.text.TextUtils;
 import android.util.Log;
 import android.util.Pair;
@@ -39,6 +40,7 @@ import android.view.SurfaceHolder;
 import android.widget.Toast;
 
 import com.bumptech.glide.Glide;
+import com.bumptech.glide.request.RequestOptions;
 import com.bumptech.glide.request.target.Target;
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
@@ -65,14 +67,20 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.DBTasks;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.DBWriter;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.FeedSearcher;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.IntList;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.gui.NotificationUtils;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.IntentUtils;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.QueueAccess;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.gui.NotificationUtils;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.playback.ExternalMedia;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.playback.Playable;
 import de.greenrobot.event.EventBus;
 
 /**
  * Controls the MediaPlayer that plays a FeedMedia-file
+ *
+ * Callers should connect to the service with either:
+ * - .bindService()
+ * - ContextCompat.startForegroundService(), optionally with arguments, such as media to be played, in intent extras
+ *
  */
 public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
     /**
@@ -191,10 +199,6 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
      */
     public static boolean isRunning = false;
     /**
-     * Is true if service has received a valid start command.
-     */
-    public static boolean started = false;
-    /**
      * Is true if the service was running, but paused due to headphone disconnect
      */
     private static boolean transientPause = false;
@@ -310,15 +314,9 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
         }
 
         flavorHelper.initializeMediaPlayer(PlaybackService.this);
-
         mediaSession.setActive(true);
 
-        NotificationCompat.Builder notificationBuilder = createBasicNotification();
-        startForeground(NOTIFICATION_ID, notificationBuilder.build());
         EventBus.getDefault().post(new ServiceEvent(ServiceEvent.Action.SERVICE_STARTED));
-
-
-        setupNotification(Playable.PlayableUtils.createInstanceFromPreferences(getApplicationContext()));
     }
 
     private NotificationCompat.Builder createBasicNotification() {
@@ -343,8 +341,8 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
     public void onDestroy() {
         super.onDestroy();
         Log.d(TAG, "Service is about to be destroyed");
+        stopForeground(true);
         isRunning = false;
-        started = false;
         currentMediaType = MediaType.UNKNOWN;
 
         PreferenceManager.getDefaultSharedPreferences(this)
@@ -365,7 +363,7 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
         mediaPlayer.shutdown();
         taskManager.shutdown();
     }
-
+    
     @Override
     public BrowserRoot onGetRoot(@NonNull String clientPackageName, int clientUid, Bundle rootHints) {
         Log.d(TAG, "OnGetRoot: clientPackageName=" + clientPackageName +
@@ -459,33 +457,32 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
         final boolean castDisconnect = intent.getBooleanExtra(EXTRA_CAST_DISCONNECT, false);
         Playable playable = intent.getParcelableExtra(EXTRA_PLAYABLE);
         if (keycode == -1 && playable == null && !castDisconnect) {
-            Log.e(TAG, "PlaybackService was started with no arguments");
-            stopSelf();
+            // Typical cases when the service was started with no argument
+            // - when it is first bound, and then moved to startedState, as in <code>serviceManager.moveServiceToStartedState()</code>
+            // - callers (e.g., Controller) explicitly
+            Log.d(TAG, "PlaybackService was started with no arguments.");
             return Service.START_NOT_STICKY;
         }
 
-        if ((flags & Service.START_FLAG_REDELIVERY) != 0) {
-            Log.d(TAG, "onStartCommand is a redelivered intent, calling stopForeground now.");
-            stopForeground(true);
-        } else {
-
-            if (keycode != -1) {
-                Log.d(TAG, "Received media button event");
-                handleKeycode(keycode, true);
-            } else if (!flavorHelper.castDisconnect(castDisconnect) && playable != null) {
-                started = true;
-                boolean stream = intent.getBooleanExtra(EXTRA_SHOULD_STREAM,
-                        true);
-                boolean startWhenPrepared = intent.getBooleanExtra(EXTRA_START_WHEN_PREPARED, false);
-                boolean prepareImmediately = intent.getBooleanExtra(EXTRA_PREPARE_IMMEDIATELY, false);
-                sendNotificationBroadcast(NOTIFICATION_TYPE_RELOAD, 0);
-                //If the user asks to play External Media, the casting session, if on, should end.
-                flavorHelper.castDisconnect(playable instanceof ExternalMedia);
-                if (playable instanceof FeedMedia) {
-                    playable = DBReader.getFeedMedia(((FeedMedia) playable).getId());
-                }
-                mediaPlayer.playMediaObject(playable, stream, startWhenPrepared, prepareImmediately);
+        if (keycode != -1) {
+            Log.d(TAG, "Received media button event");
+            boolean handled = handleKeycode(keycode, true);
+            if (!handled) {
+                // Just silently ignores unsupported keycode. Whether the service will
+                // continue to run is solely dependent on whether it is playing some media.
+                return Service.START_NOT_STICKY;
+            }
+        } else if (!flavorHelper.castDisconnect(castDisconnect) && playable != null) {
+            boolean stream = intent.getBooleanExtra(EXTRA_SHOULD_STREAM, true);
+            boolean startWhenPrepared = intent.getBooleanExtra(EXTRA_START_WHEN_PREPARED, false);
+            boolean prepareImmediately = intent.getBooleanExtra(EXTRA_PREPARE_IMMEDIATELY, false);
+            sendNotificationBroadcast(NOTIFICATION_TYPE_RELOAD, 0);
+            //If the user asks to play External Media, the casting session, if on, should end.
+            flavorHelper.castDisconnect(playable instanceof ExternalMedia);
+            if (playable instanceof FeedMedia) {
+                playable = DBReader.getFeedMedia(((FeedMedia) playable).getId());
             }
+            mediaPlayer.playMediaObject(playable, stream, startWhenPrepared, prepareImmediately);
         }
 
         return Service.START_NOT_STICKY;
@@ -559,12 +556,23 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
                 mediaPlayer.seekDelta(-UserPreferences.getRewindSecs() * 1000);
                 return true;
             case KeyEvent.KEYCODE_MEDIA_STOP:
+                // The logic gives UI illusion of stop by removing notification
+                // In the UI within AntennaPod, including widgets, it is seen as PAUSE, e.g.,
+                // users can still user on-screen widget to resume playing.
                 if (status == PlayerStatus.PLAYING) {
+                    // Implementation note: Use of a state in serviceManager to tell it to
+                    // show stop state UI (i.e., stopForeground(true)) is a bit awkward.
+                    //
+                    // More intuitive API would be for mediaPlayer.pause() returns a Future that
+                    // returns after pause, including the related async notification work completes.
+                    // However, it has its own complication, that mediaPlayer.pause() does not
+                    // really know when all the related work completes, as they are buried into
+                    // (asynchronous) callbacks.
+                    serviceManager.treatNextPauseAsStopOnUI();
                     mediaPlayer.pause(true, true);
-                    started = false;
+                } else {
+                    serviceManager.showUIForStopState();
                 }
-
-                stopForeground(true); // gets rid of persistent notification
                 return true;
             default:
                 Log.d(TAG, "Unhandled key code: " + keycode);
@@ -580,7 +588,6 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
         Playable playable = Playable.PlayableUtils.createInstanceFromPreferences(getApplicationContext());
         if (playable != null) {
             mediaPlayer.playMediaObject(playable, false, true, true);
-            started = true;
             PlaybackService.this.updateMediaSessionMetadata(playable);
         }
     }
@@ -594,19 +601,10 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
         mediaPlayer.setVideoSurface(sh);
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Called when the surface holder of the mediaplayer has to be changed.
-     */
-    private void resetVideoSurface() {
-        taskManager.cancelPositionSaver();
-        mediaPlayer.resetVideoSurface();
-    }
-
     public void notifyVideoSurfaceAbandoned() {
+        Log.v(TAG, "notifyVideoSurfaceAbandoned()");
         mediaPlayer.pause(true, false);
         mediaPlayer.resetVideoSurface();
-        setupNotification(getPlayable());
-        stopForeground(!UserPreferences.isPersistNotify());
     }
 
     private final PlaybackServiceTaskManager.PSTMCallback taskManagerCallback = new PlaybackServiceTaskManager.PSTMCallback() {
@@ -652,7 +650,12 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
     private final PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer.PSMPCallback mediaPlayerCallback = new PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer.PSMPCallback() {
         @Override
         public void statusChanged(PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer.PSMPInfo newInfo) {
-            currentMediaType = mediaPlayer.getCurrentMediaType();
+            if (mediaPlayer != null) {
+                currentMediaType = mediaPlayer.getCurrentMediaType();
+            } else {
+                currentMediaType = MediaType.UNKNOWN;
+            }
+
             updateMediaSession(newInfo.playerStatus);
             switch (newInfo.playerStatus) {
                 case INITIALIZED:
@@ -664,27 +667,15 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
                     break;
 
                 case PAUSED:
-                    if ((UserPreferences.isPersistNotify() || isCasting) &&
-                            android.os.Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.JELLY_BEAN) {
-                        // do not remove notification on pause based on user pref and whether android version supports expanded notifications
-                        // Change [Play] button to [Pause]
-                        setupNotification(newInfo);
-                    } else if (!UserPreferences.isPersistNotify() && !isCasting) {
-                        // remove notification on pause
-                        stopForeground(true);
-                    }
                     writePlayerStatusPlaybackPreferences();
                     break;
 
                 case STOPPED:
-                    //setCurrentlyPlayingMedia(PlaybackPreferences.NO_MEDIA_PLAYING);
-                    //stopSelf();
+                    //writePlaybackPreferencesNoMediaPlaying();
                     break;
 
                 case PLAYING:
                     writePlayerStatusPlaybackPreferences();
-                    setupNotification(newInfo);
-                    started = true;
                     // set sleep timer if auto-enabled
                     if (newInfo.oldPlayerStatus != null && newInfo.oldPlayerStatus != PlayerStatus.SEEKING &&
                             SleepTimerPreferences.autoEnable() && !sleepTimerActive()) {
@@ -699,9 +690,7 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
 
             }
 
-            Intent statusUpdate = new Intent(ACTION_PLAYER_STATUS_CHANGED);
-            // statusUpdate.putExtra(EXTRA_NEW_PLAYER_STATUS, newInfo.playerStatus.ordinal());
-            sendBroadcast(statusUpdate);
+            IntentUtils.sendLocalBroadcast(getApplicationContext(), ACTION_PLAYER_STATUS_CHANGED);
             PlayerWidgetJobService.updateWidget(getBaseContext());
             bluetoothNotifyChange(newInfo, AVRCP_ACTION_PLAYER_STATUS_CHANGED);
             bluetoothNotifyChange(newInfo, AVRCP_ACTION_META_CHANGED);
@@ -709,7 +698,7 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
 
         @Override
         public void shouldStop() {
-            stopSelf();
+            serviceManager.stopService();
         }
 
         @Override
@@ -758,7 +747,6 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
             }
             sendNotificationBroadcast(NOTIFICATION_TYPE_ERROR, what);
             writePlaybackPreferencesNoMediaPlaying();
-            stopSelf();
             return true;
         }
 
@@ -842,9 +830,6 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
         if (stopPlaying) {
             taskManager.cancelPositionSaver();
             writePlaybackPreferencesNoMediaPlaying();
-            if (!isCasting) {
-                stopForeground(true);
-            }
         }
         if (mediaType == null) {
             sendNotificationBroadcast(NOTIFICATION_TYPE_PLAYBACK_END, 0);
@@ -913,7 +898,7 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
                     final List<FeedItem> queue = taskManager.getQueue();
                     if (QueueAccess.ItemListAccess(queue).contains(item.getId())) {
                         // don't know if it actually matters to not autodownload when smart mark as played is triggered
-                        DBWriter.removeQueueItem(PlaybackService.this, item, ended);
+                        DBWriter.removeQueueItem(PlaybackService.this, ended, item);
                     }
                 } catch (InterruptedException e) {
                     e.printStackTrace();
@@ -1042,17 +1027,11 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
         editor.commit();
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Send ACTION_PLAYER_STATUS_CHANGED without changing the status attribute.
-     */
-    private void postStatusUpdateIntent() {
-        sendBroadcast(new Intent(ACTION_PLAYER_STATUS_CHANGED));
-    }
-
     private void sendNotificationBroadcast(int type, int code) {
         Intent intent = new Intent(ACTION_PLAYER_NOTIFICATION);
         intent.putExtra(EXTRA_NOTIFICATION_TYPE, type);
         intent.putExtra(EXTRA_NOTIFICATION_CODE, code);
+        intent.setPackage(getPackageName());
         sendBroadcast(intent);
     }
 
@@ -1064,6 +1043,7 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
     private void updateMediaSession(final PlayerStatus playerStatus) {
         PlaybackStateCompat.Builder sessionState = new PlaybackStateCompat.Builder();
 
+        @PlaybackStateCompat.State
         int state;
         if (playerStatus != null) {
             switch (playerStatus) {
@@ -1098,7 +1078,7 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
         } else {
             state = PlaybackStateCompat.STATE_NONE;
         }
-        sessionState.setState(state, mediaPlayer.getPosition(), mediaPlayer.getPlaybackSpeed());
+        sessionState.setState(state, getCurrentPosition(), getCurrentPlaybackSpeed());
         long capabilities = PlaybackStateCompat.ACTION_PLAY_PAUSE
                 | PlaybackStateCompat.ACTION_REWIND
                 | PlaybackStateCompat.ACTION_FAST_FORWARD
@@ -1127,7 +1107,9 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
 
         flavorHelper.mediaSessionSetExtraForWear(mediaSession);
 
-        mediaSession.setPlaybackState(sessionState.build());
+        final PlaybackStateCompat sessionStateBuilt = sessionState.build();
+        mediaSession.setPlaybackState(sessionStateBuilt);
+        serviceManager.onPlaybackStateChange(sessionStateBuilt);
     }
 
     private static boolean useSkipToPreviousForRewindInLockscreen() {
@@ -1167,10 +1149,10 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
                     builder.putString(MediaMetadataCompat.METADATA_KEY_ART_URI, imageLocation);
                     try {
                         Bitmap art = Glide.with(this)
-                                .load(imageLocation)
                                 .asBitmap()
-                                .diskCacheStrategy(ApGlideSettings.AP_DISK_CACHE_STRATEGY)
-                                .into(Target.SIZE_ORIGINAL, Target.SIZE_ORIGINAL)
+                                .load(imageLocation)
+                                .apply(RequestOptions.diskCacheStrategyOf(ApGlideSettings.AP_DISK_CACHE_STRATEGY))
+                                .submit(Target.SIZE_ORIGINAL, Target.SIZE_ORIGINAL)
                                 .get();
                         builder.putBitmap(MediaMetadataCompat.METADATA_KEY_ART, art);
                     } catch (Throwable tr) {
@@ -1181,7 +1163,7 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
                     builder.putString(MediaMetadataCompat.METADATA_KEY_DISPLAY_ICON_URI, imageLocation);
                 }
             }
-            if (!Thread.currentThread().isInterrupted() && started) {
+            if (!Thread.currentThread().isInterrupted() && isStarted()) {
                 mediaSession.setSessionActivity(PendingIntent.getActivity(this, 0,
                         PlaybackService.getPlayerActivityIntent(this),
                         PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT));
@@ -1204,49 +1186,55 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
      */
     private Thread notificationSetupThread;
 
-    /**
-     * Prepares notification and starts the service in the foreground.
-     */
-    private void setupNotification(final PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer.PSMPInfo info) {
-        setupNotification(info.playable);
-    }
-
-    private synchronized void setupNotification(final Playable playable) {
+    private synchronized void setupNotification(final Playable playable, boolean treatPauseAsStop) {
         if (notificationSetupThread != null) {
             notificationSetupThread.interrupt();
         }
+        if (playable == null) {
+            Log.d(TAG, "setupNotification: playable is null");
+            if (!isStarted()) {
+                serviceManager.stopService();
+            }
+            return;
+        }
         Runnable notificationSetupTask = new Runnable() {
             Bitmap icon = null;
 
             @Override
             public void run() {
-                Log.d(TAG, "Starting background work");
-                if (playable != null) {
-                    int iconSize = getResources().getDimensionPixelSize(
-                            android.R.dimen.notification_large_icon_width);
-                    try {
-                        icon = Glide.with(PlaybackService.this)
-                                .load(playable.getImageLocation())
-                                .asBitmap()
-                                .diskCacheStrategy(ApGlideSettings.AP_DISK_CACHE_STRATEGY)
-                                .centerCrop()
-                                .into(iconSize, iconSize)
-                                .get();
-                    } catch (Throwable tr) {
-                        Log.e(TAG, "Error loading the media icon for the notification", tr);
+                Log.d(TAG, "notificationSetupTask: Starting background work");
+
+                if (mediaPlayer == null) {
+                    Log.d(TAG, "notificationSetupTask: mediaPlayer is null");
+                    if (!isStarted()) {
+                        serviceManager.stopService();
                     }
+                    return;
+                }
+
+                int iconSize = getResources().getDimensionPixelSize(
+                        android.R.dimen.notification_large_icon_width);
+                try {
+                    icon = Glide.with(PlaybackService.this)
+                            .asBitmap()
+                            .load(playable.getImageLocation())
+                            .apply(RequestOptions.diskCacheStrategyOf(ApGlideSettings.AP_DISK_CACHE_STRATEGY))
+                            .apply(new RequestOptions().centerCrop())
+                            .submit(iconSize, iconSize)
+                            .get();
+                } catch (Throwable tr) {
+                    Log.e(TAG, "Error loading the media icon for the notification", tr);
                 }
+
                 if (icon == null) {
                     icon = BitmapFactory.decodeResource(getApplicationContext().getResources(),
                             ClientConfig.playbackServiceCallbacks.getNotificationIconResource(getApplicationContext()));
                 }
 
-                if (mediaPlayer == null) {
-                    return;
-                }
                 PlayerStatus playerStatus = mediaPlayer.getPlayerStatus();
+                Log.v(TAG, "notificationSetupTask: playerStatus=" + playerStatus);
 
-                if (!Thread.currentThread().isInterrupted() && started && playable != null) {
+                if (!Thread.currentThread().isInterrupted() && isStarted()) {
                     String contentText = playable.getEpisodeTitle();
                     String contentTitle = playable.getFeedTitle();
                     Notification notification;
@@ -1338,15 +1326,33 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
                             playerStatus == PlayerStatus.PREPARING ||
                             playerStatus == PlayerStatus.SEEKING ||
                             isCasting) {
+                        Log.v(TAG, "notificationSetupTask: make service foreground");
                         startForeground(NOTIFICATION_ID, notification);
+                    } else if (playerStatus == PlayerStatus.PAUSED) {
+                        if (treatPauseAsStop) {
+                            stopForeground(true);
+                        } else if ((UserPreferences.isPersistNotify() || isCasting) &&
+                                android.os.Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.JELLY_BEAN) {
+                            // do not remove notification on pause based on user pref and whether android version supports expanded notifications
+                            // Change [Play] button to [Pause]
+                            leaveNotificationAsBackground(notification);
+                        } else if (!UserPreferences.isPersistNotify() && !isCasting) {
+                            // remove notification on pause
+                            stopForeground(true);
+                        }
                     } else {
-                        stopForeground(false);
-                        NotificationManager mNotificationManager = (NotificationManager) getSystemService(NOTIFICATION_SERVICE);
-                        mNotificationManager.notify(NOTIFICATION_ID, notification);
+                        leaveNotificationAsBackground(notification);
                     }
                     Log.d(TAG, "Notification set up");
                 }
             }
+
+            private void leaveNotificationAsBackground(@NonNull Notification notification) {
+                stopForeground(false);
+                NotificationManager mNotificationManager = (NotificationManager) getSystemService(NOTIFICATION_SERVICE);
+                mNotificationManager.notify(NOTIFICATION_ID, notification);
+            }
+
         };
         notificationSetupThread = new Thread(notificationSetupTask);
         notificationSetupThread.start();
@@ -1541,7 +1547,7 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
         @Override
         public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
             if (TextUtils.equals(intent.getAction(), ACTION_SHUTDOWN_PLAYBACK_SERVICE)) {
-                stopSelf();
+                serviceManager.stopService();
             }
         }
 
@@ -1618,7 +1624,11 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
     }
 
     public void setSpeed(float speed) {
-        mediaPlayer.setSpeed(speed);
+        mediaPlayer.setPlaybackParams(speed, UserPreferences.isSkipSilence());
+    }
+
+    public void skipSilence(boolean skipSilence) {
+        mediaPlayer.setPlaybackParams(getCurrentPlaybackSpeed(), skipSilence);
     }
 
     public void setVolume(float leftVolume, float rightVolume) {
@@ -1626,6 +1636,9 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
     }
 
     public float getCurrentPlaybackSpeed() {
+        if(mediaPlayer == null) {
+            return 1.0f;
+        }
         return mediaPlayer.getPlaybackSpeed();
     }
 
@@ -1667,6 +1680,9 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
      * an invalid state.
      */
     public int getDuration() {
+        if (mediaPlayer == null) {
+            return INVALID_TIME;
+        }
         return mediaPlayer.getDuration();
     }
 
@@ -1675,6 +1691,9 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
      * is in an invalid state.
      */
     public int getCurrentPosition() {
+        if (mediaPlayer == null) {
+            return INVALID_TIME;
+        }
         return mediaPlayer.getPosition();
     }
 
@@ -1783,7 +1802,7 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
         public boolean onMediaButtonEvent(final Intent mediaButton) {
             Log.d(TAG, "onMediaButtonEvent(" + mediaButton + ")");
             if (mediaButton != null) {
-                KeyEvent keyEvent = (KeyEvent) mediaButton.getParcelableExtra(Intent.EXTRA_KEY_EVENT);
+                KeyEvent keyEvent = mediaButton.getParcelableExtra(Intent.EXTRA_KEY_EVENT);
                 if (keyEvent != null &&
                         keyEvent.getAction() == KeyEvent.ACTION_DOWN &&
                         keyEvent.getRepeatCount() == 0) {
@@ -1826,8 +1845,6 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
 
         void saveCurrentPosition(boolean fromMediaPlayer, Playable playable, int position);
 
-        void setupNotification(boolean connected, PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer.PSMPInfo info);
-
         MediaSessionCompat getMediaSession();
 
         Intent registerReceiver(BroadcastReceiver receiver, IntentFilter filter);
@@ -1867,24 +1884,6 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
         }
 
         @Override
-        public void setupNotification(boolean connected, PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer.PSMPInfo info) {
-            if (connected) {
-                PlaybackService.this.setupNotification(info);
-            } else {
-                PlayerStatus status = info.playerStatus;
-                if ((status == PlayerStatus.PLAYING ||
-                        status == PlayerStatus.SEEKING ||
-                        status == PlayerStatus.PREPARING ||
-                        UserPreferences.isPersistNotify()) &&
-                        android.os.Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.JELLY_BEAN) {
-                    PlaybackService.this.setupNotification(info);
-                } else if (!UserPreferences.isPersistNotify()) {
-                    PlaybackService.this.stopForeground(true);
-                }
-            }
-        }
-
-        @Override
         public MediaSessionCompat getMediaSession() {
             return PlaybackService.this.mediaSession;
         }
@@ -1899,4 +1898,116 @@ public class PlaybackService extends MediaBrowserServiceCompat {
             PlaybackService.this.unregisterReceiver(receiver);
         }
     };
+
+    private boolean isStarted() {
+        return serviceManager.serviceInStartedState;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The helper that manages PlaybackService's foreground service life cycle and the associated
+     * notification control.
+     *
+     * The logic is adapted from a sample app from The Android Open Source Project.
+     * See https://github.com/googlesamples/android-MediaBrowserService/blob/6cf01be9ef82ca2dd653f03e2a4af0b075cc0021/Application/src/main/java/com/example/android/mediasession/service/MusicService.java#L211
+     *
+     */
+    private class ServiceManager {
+        private boolean serviceInStartedState;
+        private boolean toTreatNextPauseAsStopOnUI = false;
+
+        /**
+         *
+         * Entry point method for callers. Upon PlaybackState changes,
+         * the manager start/stop the PlaybackService as well as relevant notification
+         */
+        void onPlaybackStateChange(PlaybackStateCompat state) {
+            // Report the state to the MediaSession.
+
+            Log.v(TAG, "onPlaybackStateChange(" + (state != null ? state.getState() : "null") + ")");
+            try {
+                // Manage the started state of this service.
+                switch (state.getState()) {
+                    case PlaybackStateCompat.STATE_CONNECTING:
+                        // move the service to started, aka, making it foreground
+                        // upon STATE_CONNECTING, i.e., in preparing to play a media.
+                        // This is done so that in case the preparation takes a long time, e.g.,
+                        // streaming over a slow network,
+                        // the service won't be killed by the system prematurely.
+                        moveServiceToStartedState(state);
+                        break;
+                    case PlaybackStateCompat.STATE_PLAYING:
+                        moveServiceToStartedState(state);
+                        break;
+                    case PlaybackStateCompat.STATE_PAUSED:
+                        updateNotificationForPause(state);
+                        break;
+                    case PlaybackStateCompat.STATE_STOPPED:
+                        moveServiceOutOfStartedState(state);
+                        break;
+                    case PlaybackStateCompat.STATE_ERROR:
+                        moveServiceOutOfStartedState(state);
+                        break;
+                }
+            } finally {
+                if (toTreatNextPauseAsStopOnUI) {
+                    Log.v(TAG, "onPlaybackStateChange() - toTreatNextPauseAsStopOnUI enabled. The actual state (should be PAUSED, aka 2): " + state.getState());
+                    toTreatNextPauseAsStopOnUI = false;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        /**
+         * Tell service manager that on the next state change, if the state is STATE_PAUSED,
+         * give UI treatment as if it is stopped.
+         *
+         * @see #handleKeycode(int, boolean) the use case
+         */
+        public void treatNextPauseAsStopOnUI() {
+            this.toTreatNextPauseAsStopOnUI = true;
+        }
+
+        public void showUIForStopState() {
+            Log.v(TAG, "serviceManager.showUIForStopState()");
+            stopForeground(true); // gets rid of persistent notification, to give the UI illusion of STOP
+        }
+
+        public void stopService() {
+            stopForeground(true);
+            stopSelf();
+            serviceInStartedState = false;
+        }
+
+        private void moveServiceToStartedState(PlaybackStateCompat state) {
+            if (!serviceInStartedState) {
+                ContextCompat.startForegroundService(
+                        PlaybackService.this,
+                        new Intent(PlaybackService.this, PlaybackService.class));
+                serviceInStartedState = true;
+            }
+
+            doSetupNotification();
+        }
+
+        private void updateNotificationForPause(PlaybackStateCompat state) {
+            doSetupNotification();
+        }
+
+        private void moveServiceOutOfStartedState(PlaybackStateCompat state) {
+            stopService();
+        }
+
+        private void doSetupNotification() {
+            if (mediaPlayer != null && mediaPlayer.getPlayable() != null) {
+                // it updates notification and set foreground status
+                // based on player status (similar to PlaybackState)
+                setupNotification(mediaPlayer.getPlayable(), toTreatNextPauseAsStopOnUI);
+            } else {
+                // should not happen unless there are bugs.
+                Log.e(TAG, "doSetupNotification() - unexpectedly there is no playable. No notification setup done. mediaPlayer." + mediaPlayer);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    private final ServiceManager serviceManager = new ServiceManager();
+
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/playback/PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/playback/PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer.java
index a2481b801..b8198fa63 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/playback/PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/playback/PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer.java
@@ -148,10 +148,12 @@ public abstract class PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer {
     public abstract boolean canSetSpeed();
 
     /**
-     * Sets the playback speed.
+     * Sets the playback parameters.
+     * - Speed
+     * - SkipSilence (ExoPlayer only)
      * This method is executed on an internal executor service.
      */
-    public abstract void setSpeed(float speed);
+    public abstract void  setPlaybackParams(final float speed, final boolean skipSilence);
 
     /**
      * Returns the current playback speed. If the playback speed could not be retrieved, 1 is returned.
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/playback/PlayerStatus.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/playback/PlayerStatus.java
index 8a222d7ec..4f2ae34f8 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/playback/PlayerStatus.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/service/playback/PlayerStatus.java
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ public enum PlayerStatus {
 	INITIALIZING(9),			// playback service is loading the Playable's metadata
 	INITIALIZED(10);	// playback service was started, data source of media player was set.
 
-	private int statusValue;
+	private final int statusValue;
     private static final PlayerStatus[] fromOrdinalLookup;
 
     static {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/APCleanupAlgorithm.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/APCleanupAlgorithm.java
index e94874453..c63ac4416 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/APCleanupAlgorithm.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/APCleanupAlgorithm.java
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage;
 
 import android.content.Context;
 import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
+import android.support.annotation.VisibleForTesting;
 import android.util.Log;
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
@@ -20,11 +21,12 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedMedia;
 public class APCleanupAlgorithm extends EpisodeCleanupAlgorithm {
 
     private static final String TAG = "APCleanupAlgorithm";
-    /** the number of days after playback to wait before an item is eligible to be cleaned up */
-    private final int numberOfDaysAfterPlayback;
+    /** the number of days after playback to wait before an item is eligible to be cleaned up.
+        Fractional for number of hours, e.g., 0.5 = 12 hours, 0.0416 = 1 hour.  */
+    private final int numberOfHoursAfterPlayback;
 
-    public APCleanupAlgorithm(int numberOfDaysAfterPlayback) {
-        this.numberOfDaysAfterPlayback = numberOfDaysAfterPlayback;
+    public APCleanupAlgorithm(int numberOfHoursAfterPlayback) {
+        this.numberOfHoursAfterPlayback = numberOfHoursAfterPlayback;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -77,13 +79,17 @@ public class APCleanupAlgorithm extends EpisodeCleanupAlgorithm {
         return counter;
     }
 
+    @VisibleForTesting
+    Date calcMostRecentDateForDeletion(@NonNull Date currentDate) {
+        return minusHours(currentDate, numberOfHoursAfterPlayback);
+    }
+
     @NonNull
     private List<FeedItem> getCandidates() {
         List<FeedItem> candidates = new ArrayList<>();
         List<FeedItem> downloadedItems = DBReader.getDownloadedItems();
-        Calendar cal = Calendar.getInstance();
-        cal.add(Calendar.DAY_OF_MONTH, -1 * numberOfDaysAfterPlayback);
-        Date mostRecentDateForDeletion = cal.getTime();
+
+        Date mostRecentDateForDeletion = calcMostRecentDateForDeletion(new Date());
         for (FeedItem item : downloadedItems) {
             if (item.hasMedia()
                     && item.getMedia().isDownloaded()
@@ -108,5 +114,16 @@ public class APCleanupAlgorithm extends EpisodeCleanupAlgorithm {
         return getNumEpisodesToCleanup(0);
     }
 
-    public int getNumberOfDaysAfterPlayback() { return numberOfDaysAfterPlayback; }
+    @VisibleForTesting
+    public int getNumberOfHoursAfterPlayback() { return numberOfHoursAfterPlayback; }
+
+    private static Date minusHours(Date baseDate, int numberOfHours) {
+        Calendar cal = Calendar.getInstance();
+        cal.setTime(baseDate);
+
+        cal.add(Calendar.HOUR_OF_DAY, -1 * numberOfHours);
+
+        return cal.getTime();
+    }
+
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/DBReader.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/DBReader.java
index fa87cc216..1b579f99a 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/DBReader.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/DBReader.java
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage;
 
 import android.database.Cursor;
+import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
+import android.support.annotation.Nullable;
 import android.support.v4.util.ArrayMap;
+import android.text.TextUtils;
 import android.util.Log;
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
@@ -13,7 +16,6 @@ import java.util.Map;
 
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.Chapter;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.Feed;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedImage;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedItem;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedMedia;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedPreferences;
@@ -57,6 +59,7 @@ public final class DBReader {
      * of the returned list does NOT have its list of FeedItems yet. The FeedItem-list
      * can be loaded separately with {@link #getFeedItemList(Feed)}.
      */
+    @NonNull
     public static List<Feed> getFeedList() {
         Log.d(TAG, "Extracting Feedlist");
 
@@ -69,13 +72,14 @@ public final class DBReader {
         }
     }
 
+    @NonNull
     private static List<Feed> getFeedList(PodDBAdapter adapter) {
         Cursor cursor = null;
         try {
             cursor = adapter.getAllFeedsCursor();
             List<Feed> feeds = new ArrayList<>(cursor.getCount());
             while (cursor.moveToNext()) {
-                Feed feed = extractFeedFromCursorRow(adapter, cursor);
+                Feed feed = extractFeedFromCursorRow(cursor);
                 feeds.add(feed);
             }
             return feeds;
@@ -198,28 +202,19 @@ public final class DBReader {
         }
     }
 
+    @NonNull
     private static List<FeedItem> extractItemlistFromCursor(PodDBAdapter adapter, Cursor cursor) {
         List<FeedItem> result = new ArrayList<>(cursor.getCount());
 
-        LongList imageIds = new LongList(cursor.getCount());
         LongList itemIds = new LongList(cursor.getCount());
         if (cursor.moveToFirst()) {
             do {
-                int indexImage = cursor.getColumnIndex(PodDBAdapter.KEY_IMAGE);
-                long imageId = cursor.getLong(indexImage);
-                imageIds.add(imageId);
-
                 FeedItem item = FeedItem.fromCursor(cursor);
                 result.add(item);
                 itemIds.add(item.getId());
             } while (cursor.moveToNext());
-            Map<Long, FeedImage> images = getFeedImages(adapter, imageIds.toArray());
             Map<Long, FeedMedia> medias = getFeedMedia(adapter, itemIds);
-            for (int i = 0; i < result.size(); i++) {
-                FeedItem item = result.get(i);
-                long imageId = imageIds.get(i);
-                FeedImage image = images.get(imageId);
-                item.setImage(image);
+            for (FeedItem item : result) {
                 FeedMedia media = medias.get(item.getId());
                 item.setMedia(media);
                 if (media != null) {
@@ -253,28 +248,14 @@ public final class DBReader {
         return result;
     }
 
-    private static Feed extractFeedFromCursorRow(PodDBAdapter adapter, Cursor cursor) {
-        final FeedImage image;
-        int indexImage = cursor.getColumnIndex(PodDBAdapter.KEY_IMAGE);
-        long imageId = cursor.getLong(indexImage);
-        if (imageId != 0) {
-            image = getFeedImage(adapter, imageId);
-        } else {
-            image = null;
-        }
-
+    private static Feed extractFeedFromCursorRow(Cursor cursor) {
         Feed feed = Feed.fromCursor(cursor);
-        if (image != null) {
-            feed.setImage(image);
-            image.setOwner(feed);
-        }
-
         FeedPreferences preferences = FeedPreferences.fromCursor(cursor);
         feed.setPreferences(preferences);
-
         return feed;
     }
 
+    @NonNull
     static List<FeedItem> getQueue(PodDBAdapter adapter) {
         Log.d(TAG, "getQueue()");
         Cursor cursor = null;
@@ -331,6 +312,7 @@ public final class DBReader {
      * @return A list of FeedItems sorted by the same order as the queue. The caller can wrap the returned
      * list in a {@link de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.QueueAccess} object for easier access to the queue's properties.
      */
+    @NonNull
     public static List<FeedItem> getQueue() {
         Log.d(TAG, "getQueue() called");
 
@@ -348,6 +330,7 @@ public final class DBReader {
      *
      * @return A list of FeedItems whose episdoe has been downloaded.
      */
+    @NonNull
     public static List<FeedItem> getDownloadedItems() {
         Log.d(TAG, "getDownloadedItems() called");
 
@@ -438,6 +421,7 @@ public final class DBReader {
      *
      * @param limit The maximum number of episodes that should be loaded.
      */
+    @NonNull
     public static List<FeedItem> getRecentlyPublishedEpisodes(int limit) {
         Log.d(TAG, "getRecentlyPublishedEpisodes() called with: " + "limit = [" + limit + "]");
 
@@ -464,6 +448,7 @@ public final class DBReader {
      * @return The playback history. The FeedItems are sorted by their media's playbackCompletionDate in descending order.
      * The size of the returned list is limited by {@link #PLAYBACK_HISTORY_SIZE}.
      */
+    @NonNull
     public static List<FeedItem> getPlaybackHistory() {
         Log.d(TAG, "getPlaybackHistory() called");
 
@@ -599,13 +584,14 @@ public final class DBReader {
         }
     }
 
+    @Nullable
     static Feed getFeed(final long feedId, PodDBAdapter adapter) {
         Feed feed = null;
         Cursor cursor = null;
         try {
             cursor = adapter.getFeedCursor(feedId);
             if (cursor.moveToNext()) {
-                feed = extractFeedFromCursorRow(adapter, cursor);
+                feed = extractFeedFromCursorRow(cursor);
                 feed.setItems(getFeedItemList(feed));
             } else {
                 Log.e(TAG, "getFeed could not find feed with id " + feedId);
@@ -618,6 +604,7 @@ public final class DBReader {
         }
     }
 
+    @Nullable
     private static FeedItem getFeedItem(final long itemId, PodDBAdapter adapter) {
         Log.d(TAG, "Loading feeditem with id " + itemId);
 
@@ -651,6 +638,7 @@ public final class DBReader {
      * @return The FeedItem or null if the FeedItem could not be found. All FeedComponent-attributes
      * as well as chapter marks of the FeedItem will also be loaded from the database.
      */
+    @Nullable
     public static FeedItem getFeedItem(final long itemId) {
         Log.d(TAG, "getFeedItem() called with: " + "itemId = [" + itemId + "]");
 
@@ -663,6 +651,7 @@ public final class DBReader {
         }
     }
 
+    @Nullable
     private static FeedItem getFeedItem(final String podcastUrl, final String episodeUrl, PodDBAdapter adapter) {
         Log.d(TAG, "Loading feeditem with podcast url " + podcastUrl + " and episode url " + episodeUrl);
         Cursor cursor = null;
@@ -714,7 +703,7 @@ public final class DBReader {
             if (cursor.moveToFirst()) {
                 String username = cursor.getString(0);
                 String password = cursor.getString(1);
-                if (username != null && password != null) {
+                if (!TextUtils.isEmpty(username) && password != null) {
                     credentials = username + ":" + password;
                 } else {
                     credentials = "";
@@ -839,62 +828,6 @@ public final class DBReader {
     }
 
     /**
-     * Searches the DB for a FeedImage of the given id.
-     *
-     * @param imageId The id of the object
-     * @return The found object
-     */
-    public static FeedImage getFeedImage(final long imageId) {
-        Log.d(TAG, "getFeedImage() called with: " + "imageId = [" + imageId + "]");
-        PodDBAdapter adapter = PodDBAdapter.getInstance();
-        adapter.open();
-        try {
-            return getFeedImage(adapter, imageId);
-        } finally {
-            adapter.close();
-        }
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Searches the DB for a FeedImage of the given id.
-     *
-     * @param imageId The id of the object
-     * @return The found object
-     */
-    private static FeedImage getFeedImage(PodDBAdapter adapter, final long imageId) {
-        return getFeedImages(adapter, imageId).get(imageId);
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Searches the DB for a FeedImage of the given id.
-     *
-     * @param imageIds The ids of the images
-     * @return Map that associates the id of an image with the image itself
-     */
-    private static Map<Long, FeedImage> getFeedImages(PodDBAdapter adapter, final long... imageIds) {
-        String[] ids = new String[imageIds.length];
-        for (int i = 0, len = imageIds.length; i < len; i++) {
-            ids[i] = String.valueOf(imageIds[i]);
-        }
-        Cursor cursor = adapter.getImageCursor(ids);
-        int imageCount = cursor.getCount();
-        if (imageCount == 0) {
-            cursor.close();
-            return Collections.emptyMap();
-        }
-        Map<Long, FeedImage> result = new ArrayMap<>(imageCount);
-        try {
-            while (cursor.moveToNext()) {
-                FeedImage image = FeedImage.fromCursor(cursor);
-                result.put(image.getId(), image);
-            }
-        } finally {
-            cursor.close();
-        }
-        return result;
-    }
-
-    /**
      * Searches the DB for a FeedMedia of the given id.
      *
      * @param mediaId The id of the object
@@ -938,6 +871,7 @@ public final class DBReader {
      *                       countAll calculation time
      * @return The StatisticsInfo object
      */
+    @NonNull
     public static StatisticsData getStatistics(boolean sortByCountAll) {
         PodDBAdapter adapter = PodDBAdapter.getInstance();
         adapter.open();
@@ -961,10 +895,6 @@ public final class DBReader {
                     continue;
                 }
 
-                // played duration used to be reset when the item is added to the playback history
-                if (media.getPlaybackCompletionDate() != null) {
-                    feedPlayedTime += media.getDuration() / 1000;
-                }
                 feedPlayedTime += media.getPlayedDuration() / 1000;
 
                 if (item.isPlayed()) {
@@ -1088,7 +1018,7 @@ public final class DBReader {
         Cursor feedCursor = adapter.getFeedsInFlattrQueueCursor();
         if (feedCursor.moveToFirst()) {
             do {
-                result.add(extractFeedFromCursorRow(adapter, feedCursor));
+                result.add(extractFeedFromCursorRow(feedCursor));
             } while (feedCursor.moveToNext());
         }
         feedCursor.close();
@@ -1108,6 +1038,7 @@ public final class DBReader {
      * the list of subscriptions, the number of items in the queue and the number of unread
      * items.
      */
+    @NonNull
     public static NavDrawerData getNavDrawerData() {
         Log.d(TAG, "getNavDrawerData() called with: " + "");
         PodDBAdapter adapter = PodDBAdapter.getInstance();
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/DBTasks.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/DBTasks.java
index da500fd3e..dab8e19b5 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/DBTasks.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/DBTasks.java
@@ -1,11 +1,9 @@
 package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage;
 
 import android.content.Context;
-import android.content.Intent;
 import android.content.SharedPreferences;
 import android.database.Cursor;
 import android.support.annotation.Nullable;
-import android.support.v4.content.ContextCompat;
 import android.util.Log;
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
@@ -19,7 +17,6 @@ import java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService;
 import java.util.concurrent.Executors;
 import java.util.concurrent.Future;
 import java.util.concurrent.FutureTask;
-import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
 
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.ClientConfig;
@@ -30,12 +27,11 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.Feed;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedItem;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedMedia;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedPreferences;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.preferences.UserPreferences;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.GpodnetSyncService;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.download.DownloadStatus;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.playback.PlaybackService;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.Converter;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.DownloadError;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.IntentUtils;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.LongList;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.comparator.FeedItemPubdateComparator;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.exception.MediaFileNotFoundException;
@@ -142,8 +138,7 @@ public final class DBTasks {
         } catch (MediaFileNotFoundException e) {
             e.printStackTrace();
             if (media.isPlaying()) {
-                context.sendBroadcast(new Intent(
-                        PlaybackService.ACTION_SHUTDOWN_PLAYBACK_SERVICE));
+                IntentUtils.sendLocalBroadcast(context, PlaybackService.ACTION_SHUTDOWN_PLAYBACK_SERVICE);
             }
             notifyMissingFeedMediaFile(context, media);
         }
@@ -198,8 +193,10 @@ public final class DBTasks {
             if (ClientConfig.gpodnetCallbacks.gpodnetEnabled()) {
                 GpodnetSyncService.sendSyncIntent(context);
             }
-            Log.d(TAG, "refreshAllFeeds autodownload");
-            autodownloadUndownloadedItems(context);
+            // Note: automatic download of episodes will be done but not here.
+            // Instead it is done after all feeds have been refreshed (asynchronously),
+            // in DownloadService.onDestroy()
+            // See Issue #2577 for the details of the rationale
 
             if (callback != null) {
                 callback.run();
@@ -207,6 +204,11 @@ public final class DBTasks {
         }).start();
     }
 
+    public static long getLastRefreshAllFeedsTimeMillis(final Context context) {
+        SharedPreferences prefs = context.getSharedPreferences(DBTasks.PREF_NAME, MODE_PRIVATE);
+        return  prefs.getLong(DBTasks.PREF_LAST_REFRESH, 0);
+    }
+
     /**
      * @param context
      * @param feedList the list of feeds to refresh
@@ -237,27 +239,6 @@ public final class DBTasks {
     }
 
     /**
-     * Downloads all pages of the given feed.
-     *
-     * @param context Used for requesting the download.
-     * @param feed    The Feed object.
-     */
-    public static void refreshCompleteFeed(final Context context, final Feed feed) {
-        try {
-            refreshFeed(context, feed, true, false);
-        } catch (DownloadRequestException e) {
-            e.printStackTrace();
-            DBWriter.addDownloadStatus(
-                    new DownloadStatus(feed, feed
-                            .getHumanReadableIdentifier(),
-                            DownloadError.ERROR_REQUEST_ERROR, false, e
-                            .getMessage()
-                    )
-            );
-        }
-    }
-
-    /**
      * Downloads all pages of the given feed even if feed has not been modified since last refresh
      *
      * @param context Used for requesting the download.
@@ -338,31 +319,6 @@ public final class DBTasks {
         DownloadRequester.getInstance().downloadFeed(context, f, loadAllPages, force);
     }
 
-    /*
-     *  Checks if the app should refresh all feeds, i.e. if the last auto refresh failed.
-     *
-     *  The feeds are only refreshed if an update interval or time of day is set and the last
-     *  (successful) refresh was before the last interval or more than a day ago, respectively.
-     */
-    public static void checkShouldRefreshFeeds(Context context) {
-        long interval = 0;
-        if(UserPreferences.getUpdateInterval() > 0) {
-            interval = UserPreferences.getUpdateInterval();
-        } else if(UserPreferences.getUpdateTimeOfDay().length > 0){
-            interval = TimeUnit.DAYS.toMillis(1);
-        }
-        if(interval == 0) { // auto refresh is disabled
-            return;
-        }
-        SharedPreferences prefs = context.getSharedPreferences(PREF_NAME, MODE_PRIVATE);
-        long lastRefresh = prefs.getLong(PREF_LAST_REFRESH, 0);
-        Log.d(TAG, "last refresh: " + Converter.getDurationStringLocalized(context,
-                System.currentTimeMillis() - lastRefresh) + " ago");
-        if(lastRefresh <= System.currentTimeMillis() - interval) {
-            DBTasks.refreshAllFeeds(context, null);
-        }
-    }
-
     /**
      * Notifies the database about a missing FeedMedia file. This method will correct the FeedMedia object's values in the
      * DB and send a FeedUpdateBroadcast.
@@ -378,27 +334,6 @@ public final class DBTasks {
     }
 
     /**
-     * Request the download of all objects in the queue. from a separate Thread.
-     *
-     * @param context Used for requesting the download an accessing the database.
-     */
-    public static void downloadAllItemsInQueue(final Context context) {
-        new Thread() {
-            public void run() {
-                List<FeedItem> queue = DBReader.getQueue();
-                if (!queue.isEmpty()) {
-                    try {
-                        downloadFeedItems(context,
-                                queue.toArray(new FeedItem[queue.size()]));
-                    } catch (DownloadRequestException e) {
-                        e.printStackTrace();
-                    }
-                }
-            }
-        }.start();
-    }
-
-    /**
      * Requests the download of a list of FeedItem objects.
      *
      * @param context Used for requesting the download and accessing the DB.
@@ -817,10 +752,8 @@ public final class DBTasks {
      */
     abstract static class QueryTask<T> implements Callable<T> {
         private T result;
-        private final Context context;
 
         public QueryTask(Context context) {
-            this.context = context;
         }
 
         @Override
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/DBUpgrader.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/DBUpgrader.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0beb765e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/DBUpgrader.java
@@ -0,0 +1,293 @@
+package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage;
+
+import android.content.ContentValues;
+import android.database.Cursor;
+import android.database.sqlite.SQLiteDatabase;
+import android.media.MediaMetadataRetriever;
+import android.util.Log;
+
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedItem;
+
+class DBUpgrader {
+    /**
+     * Upgrades the given database to a new schema version
+     */
+    static void upgrade(final SQLiteDatabase db, final int oldVersion, final int newVersion) {
+        if (oldVersion <= 1) {
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + " ADD COLUMN "
+                    + PodDBAdapter.KEY_TYPE + " TEXT");
+        }
+        if (oldVersion <= 2) {
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_SIMPLECHAPTERS
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_LINK + " TEXT");
+        }
+        if (oldVersion <= 3) {
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_ITEM_IDENTIFIER + " TEXT");
+        }
+        if (oldVersion <= 4) {
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + " ADD COLUMN "
+                    + PodDBAdapter.KEY_FEED_IDENTIFIER + " TEXT");
+        }
+        if (oldVersion <= 5) {
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_DOWNLOAD_LOG
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_REASON_DETAILED + " TEXT");
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_DOWNLOAD_LOG
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_DOWNLOADSTATUS_TITLE + " TEXT");
+        }
+        if (oldVersion <= 6) {
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_SIMPLECHAPTERS
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_CHAPTER_TYPE + " INTEGER");
+        }
+        if (oldVersion <= 7) {
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_PLAYBACK_COMPLETION_DATE
+                    + " INTEGER");
+        }
+        if (oldVersion <= 8) {
+            final int KEY_ID_POSITION = 0;
+            final int KEY_MEDIA_POSITION = 1;
+
+            // Add feeditem column to feedmedia table
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_FEEDITEM
+                    + " INTEGER");
+            Cursor feeditemCursor = db.query(PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS,
+                    new String[]{PodDBAdapter.KEY_ID, PodDBAdapter.KEY_MEDIA}, "? > 0",
+                    new String[]{PodDBAdapter.KEY_MEDIA}, null, null, null);
+            if (feeditemCursor.moveToFirst()) {
+                db.beginTransaction();
+                ContentValues contentValues = new ContentValues();
+                do {
+                    long mediaId = feeditemCursor.getLong(KEY_MEDIA_POSITION);
+                    contentValues.put(PodDBAdapter.KEY_FEEDITEM, feeditemCursor.getLong(KEY_ID_POSITION));
+                    db.update(PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA, contentValues, PodDBAdapter.KEY_ID + "=?", new String[]{String.valueOf(mediaId)});
+                    contentValues.clear();
+                } while (feeditemCursor.moveToNext());
+                db.setTransactionSuccessful();
+                db.endTransaction();
+            }
+            feeditemCursor.close();
+        }
+        if (oldVersion <= 9) {
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_AUTO_DOWNLOAD
+                    + " INTEGER DEFAULT 1");
+        }
+        if (oldVersion <= 10) {
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_FLATTR_STATUS
+                    + " INTEGER");
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_FLATTR_STATUS
+                    + " INTEGER");
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_PLAYED_DURATION
+                    + " INTEGER");
+        }
+        if (oldVersion <= 11) {
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_USERNAME
+                    + " TEXT");
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_PASSWORD
+                    + " TEXT");
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_IMAGE
+                    + " INTEGER");
+        }
+        if (oldVersion <= 12) {
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_IS_PAGED + " INTEGER DEFAULT 0");
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_NEXT_PAGE_LINK + " TEXT");
+        }
+        if (oldVersion <= 13) {
+            // remove duplicate rows in "Chapters" table that were created because of a bug.
+            db.execSQL(String.format("DELETE FROM %s WHERE %s NOT IN " +
+                            "(SELECT MIN(%s) as %s FROM %s GROUP BY %s,%s,%s,%s,%s)",
+                    PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_SIMPLECHAPTERS,
+                    PodDBAdapter.KEY_ID,
+                    PodDBAdapter.KEY_ID,
+                    PodDBAdapter.KEY_ID,
+                    PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_SIMPLECHAPTERS,
+                    PodDBAdapter.KEY_TITLE,
+                    PodDBAdapter.KEY_START,
+                    PodDBAdapter.KEY_FEEDITEM,
+                    PodDBAdapter.KEY_LINK,
+                    PodDBAdapter.KEY_CHAPTER_TYPE));
+        }
+        if (oldVersion <= 14) {
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_AUTO_DOWNLOAD + " INTEGER");
+            db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS
+                    + " SET " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_AUTO_DOWNLOAD + " = "
+                    + "(SELECT " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_AUTO_DOWNLOAD
+                    + " FROM " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
+                    + " WHERE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "." + PodDBAdapter.KEY_ID
+                    + " = " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + PodDBAdapter.KEY_FEED + ")");
+
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE + " TEXT");
+
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_LAST_UPDATE_FAILED + " INTEGER DEFAULT 0");
+
+            // create indexes
+            db.execSQL(PodDBAdapter.CREATE_INDEX_FEEDITEMS_FEED);
+            db.execSQL(PodDBAdapter.CREATE_INDEX_FEEDMEDIA_FEEDITEM);
+            db.execSQL(PodDBAdapter.CREATE_INDEX_QUEUE_FEEDITEM);
+            db.execSQL(PodDBAdapter.CREATE_INDEX_SIMPLECHAPTERS_FEEDITEM);
+        }
+        if (oldVersion <= 15) {
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HAS_EMBEDDED_PICTURE + " INTEGER DEFAULT -1");
+            db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA
+                    + " SET " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HAS_EMBEDDED_PICTURE + "=0"
+                    + " WHERE " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_DOWNLOADED + "=0");
+            Cursor c = db.rawQuery("SELECT " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_FILE_URL
+                    + " FROM " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA
+                    + " WHERE " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_DOWNLOADED + "=1 "
+                    + " AND " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HAS_EMBEDDED_PICTURE + "=-1", null);
+            if (c.moveToFirst()) {
+                MediaMetadataRetriever mmr = new MediaMetadataRetriever();
+                do {
+                    String fileUrl = c.getString(0);
+                    try {
+                        mmr.setDataSource(fileUrl);
+                        byte[] image = mmr.getEmbeddedPicture();
+                        if (image != null) {
+                            db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA
+                                    + " SET " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HAS_EMBEDDED_PICTURE + "=1"
+                                    + " WHERE " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_FILE_URL + "='" + fileUrl + "'");
+                        } else {
+                            db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA
+                                    + " SET " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HAS_EMBEDDED_PICTURE + "=0"
+                                    + " WHERE " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_FILE_URL + "='" + fileUrl + "'");
+                        }
+                    } catch (Exception e) {
+                        e.printStackTrace();
+                    }
+                } while (c.moveToNext());
+            }
+            c.close();
+        }
+        if (oldVersion <= 16) {
+            String selectNew = "SELECT " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + PodDBAdapter.KEY_ID
+                    + " FROM " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS
+                    + " INNER JOIN " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA + " ON "
+                    + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + PodDBAdapter.KEY_ID + "="
+                    + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA + "." + PodDBAdapter.KEY_FEEDITEM
+                    + " LEFT OUTER JOIN " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_QUEUE + " ON "
+                    + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + PodDBAdapter.KEY_ID + "="
+                    + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_QUEUE + "." + PodDBAdapter.KEY_FEEDITEM
+                    + " WHERE "
+                    + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + PodDBAdapter.KEY_READ + " = 0 AND " // unplayed
+                    + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA + "." + PodDBAdapter.KEY_DOWNLOADED + " = 0 AND " // undownloaded
+                    + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA + "." + PodDBAdapter.KEY_POSITION + " = 0 AND " // not partially played
+                    + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_QUEUE + "." + PodDBAdapter.KEY_ID + " IS NULL"; // not in queue
+            String sql = "UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS
+                    + " SET " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_READ + "=" + FeedItem.NEW
+                    + " WHERE " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_ID + " IN (" + selectNew + ")";
+            Log.d("Migration", "SQL: " + sql);
+            db.execSQL(sql);
+        }
+        if (oldVersion <= 17) {
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_AUTO_DELETE_ACTION + " INTEGER DEFAULT 0");
+        }
+        if (oldVersion < 1030005) {
+            db.execSQL("UPDATE FeedItems SET auto_download=0 WHERE " +
+                    "(read=1 OR id IN (SELECT feeditem FROM FeedMedia WHERE position>0 OR downloaded=1)) " +
+                    "AND id NOT IN (SELECT feeditem FROM Queue)");
+        }
+        if (oldVersion < 1040001) {
+            db.execSQL(PodDBAdapter.CREATE_TABLE_FAVORITES);
+        }
+        if (oldVersion < 1040002) {
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_LAST_PLAYED_TIME + " INTEGER DEFAULT 0");
+        }
+        if (oldVersion < 1040013) {
+            db.execSQL(PodDBAdapter.CREATE_INDEX_FEEDITEMS_PUBDATE);
+            db.execSQL(PodDBAdapter.CREATE_INDEX_FEEDITEMS_READ);
+        }
+        if (oldVersion < 1050003) {
+            // Migrates feed list filter data
+
+            db.beginTransaction();
+
+            // Change to intermediate values to avoid overwriting in the following find/replace
+            db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "\n" +
+                    "SET " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE + " = replace(" + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE + ", 'unplayed', 'noplay')");
+            db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "\n" +
+                    "SET " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE + " = replace(" + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE + ", 'not_queued', 'noqueue')");
+            db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "\n" +
+                    "SET " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE + " = replace(" + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE + ", 'not_downloaded', 'nodl')");
+
+            // Replace played, queued, and downloaded with their opposites
+            db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "\n" +
+                    "SET " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE + " = replace(" + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE + ", 'played', 'unplayed')");
+            db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "\n" +
+                    "SET " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE + " = replace(" + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE + ", 'queued', 'not_queued')");
+            db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "\n" +
+                    "SET " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE + " = replace(" + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE + ", 'downloaded', 'not_downloaded')");
+
+            // Now replace intermediates for unplayed, not queued, etc. with their opposites
+            db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "\n" +
+                    "SET " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE + " = replace(" + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE + ", 'noplay', 'played')");
+            db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "\n" +
+                    "SET " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE + " = replace(" + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE + ", 'noqueue', 'queued')");
+            db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "\n" +
+                    "SET " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE + " = replace(" + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE + ", 'nodl', 'downloaded')");
+
+            // Paused doesn't have an opposite, so unplayed is the next best option
+            db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "\n" +
+                    "SET " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE + " = replace(" + PodDBAdapter.KEY_HIDE + ", 'paused', 'unplayed')");
+
+            db.setTransactionSuccessful();
+            db.endTransaction();
+
+            // and now get ready for autodownload filters
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_INCLUDE_FILTER + " TEXT DEFAULT ''");
+
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_EXCLUDE_FILTER + " TEXT DEFAULT ''");
+
+            // and now auto refresh
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_KEEP_UPDATED + " INTEGER DEFAULT 1");
+        }
+        if (oldVersion < 1050004) {
+            // prevent old timestamps to be misinterpreted as ETags
+            db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
+                    + " SET " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_LASTUPDATE + "=NULL");
+        }
+        if (oldVersion < 1060200) {
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_CUSTOM_TITLE + " TEXT");
+        }
+        if (oldVersion < 1060596) {
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_IMAGE_URL + " TEXT");
+            db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS
+                    + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_IMAGE_URL + " TEXT");
+
+            db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + " SET " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_IMAGE_URL + "  = ("
+                    + " SELECT " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_DOWNLOAD_URL
+                    + " FROM " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_IMAGES
+                    + " WHERE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_IMAGES + "." + PodDBAdapter.KEY_ID
+                    + " = " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + PodDBAdapter.KEY_IMAGE + ")");
+
+            db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + " SET " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_IMAGE_URL + " = ("
+                    + " SELECT " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_DOWNLOAD_URL
+                    + " FROM " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_IMAGES
+                    + " WHERE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_IMAGES + "." + PodDBAdapter.KEY_ID
+                    + " = " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "." + PodDBAdapter.KEY_IMAGE + ")");
+
+            db.execSQL("DROP TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_IMAGES);
+        }
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/DBWriter.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/DBWriter.java
index 8cdf82e15..f7226729a 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/DBWriter.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/DBWriter.java
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import android.content.Context;
 import android.content.Intent;
 import android.content.SharedPreferences;
 import android.preference.PreferenceManager;
+import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
 import android.util.Log;
 
 import org.shredzone.flattr4j.model.Flattr;
@@ -32,7 +33,6 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.event.QueueEvent;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.EventDistributor;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.Feed;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedEvent;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedImage;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedItem;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedMedia;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedPreferences;
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.preferences.PlaybackPreferences;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.preferences.UserPreferences;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.download.DownloadStatus;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.playback.PlaybackService;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.IntentUtils;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.LongList;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.Permutor;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.flattr.FlattrStatus;
@@ -80,65 +81,72 @@ public class DBWriter {
      * @param context A context that is used for opening a database connection.
      * @param mediaId ID of the FeedMedia object whose downloaded file should be deleted.
      */
-    public static Future<?> deleteFeedMediaOfItem(final Context context,
+    public static Future<?> deleteFeedMediaOfItem(@NonNull final Context context,
                                                   final long mediaId) {
         return dbExec.submit(() -> {
             final FeedMedia media = DBReader.getFeedMedia(mediaId);
             if (media != null) {
-                Log.i(TAG, String.format("Requested to delete FeedMedia [id=%d, title=%s, downloaded=%s",
-                        media.getId(), media.getEpisodeTitle(), String.valueOf(media.isDownloaded())));
-                if (media.isDownloaded()) {
-                    // delete downloaded media file
-                    File mediaFile = new File(media.getFile_url());
-                    if (mediaFile.exists() && !mediaFile.delete()) {
-                        MessageEvent evt = new MessageEvent(context.getString(R.string.delete_failed));
-                        EventBus.getDefault().post(evt);
-                        return;
-                    }
-                    media.setDownloaded(false);
-                    media.setFile_url(null);
-                    media.setHasEmbeddedPicture(false);
-                    PodDBAdapter adapter = PodDBAdapter.getInstance();
-                    adapter.open();
-                    adapter.setMedia(media);
-                    adapter.close();
-
-                    // If media is currently being played, change playback
-                    // type to 'stream' and shutdown playback service
-                    SharedPreferences prefs = PreferenceManager
-                            .getDefaultSharedPreferences(context);
-                    if (PlaybackPreferences.getCurrentlyPlayingMedia() == FeedMedia.PLAYABLE_TYPE_FEEDMEDIA) {
-                        if (media.getId() == PlaybackPreferences
-                                .getCurrentlyPlayingFeedMediaId()) {
-                            SharedPreferences.Editor editor = prefs.edit();
-                            editor.putBoolean(
-                                    PlaybackPreferences.PREF_CURRENT_EPISODE_IS_STREAM,
-                                    true);
-                            editor.commit();
-                        }
-                        if (PlaybackPreferences
-                                .getCurrentlyPlayingFeedMediaId() == media
-                                .getId()) {
-                            context.sendBroadcast(new Intent(
-                                    PlaybackService.ACTION_SHUTDOWN_PLAYBACK_SERVICE));
-                        }
-                    }
-                    // Gpodder: queue delete action for synchronization
-                    if(GpodnetPreferences.loggedIn()) {
-                        FeedItem item = media.getItem();
-                        GpodnetEpisodeAction action = new GpodnetEpisodeAction.Builder(item, GpodnetEpisodeAction.Action.DELETE)
-                                .currentDeviceId()
-                                .currentTimestamp()
-                                .build();
-                        GpodnetPreferences.enqueueEpisodeAction(action);
-                    }
+                boolean result = deleteFeedMediaSynchronous(context, media);
+
+                if (result && UserPreferences.shouldDeleteRemoveFromQueue()) {
+                    DBWriter.removeQueueItemSynchronous(context, false, media.getItem().getId());
                 }
-                EventBus.getDefault().post(FeedItemEvent.deletedMedia(Collections.singletonList(media.getItem())));
-                EventDistributor.getInstance().sendUnreadItemsUpdateBroadcast();
             }
         });
     }
 
+    private static boolean deleteFeedMediaSynchronous(@NonNull Context context, @NonNull FeedMedia media) {
+        Log.i(TAG, String.format("Requested to delete FeedMedia [id=%d, title=%s, downloaded=%s",
+                media.getId(), media.getEpisodeTitle(), String.valueOf(media.isDownloaded())));
+        if (media.isDownloaded()) {
+            // delete downloaded media file
+            File mediaFile = new File(media.getFile_url());
+            if (mediaFile.exists() && !mediaFile.delete()) {
+                MessageEvent evt = new MessageEvent(context.getString(R.string.delete_failed));
+                EventBus.getDefault().post(evt);
+                return false;
+            }
+            media.setDownloaded(false);
+            media.setFile_url(null);
+            media.setHasEmbeddedPicture(false);
+            PodDBAdapter adapter = PodDBAdapter.getInstance();
+            adapter.open();
+            adapter.setMedia(media);
+            adapter.close();
+
+            // If media is currently being played, change playback
+            // type to 'stream' and shutdown playback service
+            SharedPreferences prefs = PreferenceManager
+                    .getDefaultSharedPreferences(context);
+            if (PlaybackPreferences.getCurrentlyPlayingMedia() == FeedMedia.PLAYABLE_TYPE_FEEDMEDIA) {
+                if (media.getId() == PlaybackPreferences
+                        .getCurrentlyPlayingFeedMediaId()) {
+                    SharedPreferences.Editor editor = prefs.edit();
+                    editor.putBoolean(
+                            PlaybackPreferences.PREF_CURRENT_EPISODE_IS_STREAM,
+                            true);
+                    editor.commit();
+                }
+                if (PlaybackPreferences.getCurrentlyPlayingFeedMediaId() == media.getId()) {
+                    IntentUtils.sendLocalBroadcast(context, PlaybackService.ACTION_SHUTDOWN_PLAYBACK_SERVICE);
+                }
+            }
+            // Gpodder: queue delete action for synchronization
+            if(GpodnetPreferences.loggedIn()) {
+                FeedItem item = media.getItem();
+                GpodnetEpisodeAction action = new GpodnetEpisodeAction.Builder(item, GpodnetEpisodeAction.Action.DELETE)
+                        .currentDeviceId()
+                        .currentTimestamp()
+                        .build();
+                GpodnetPreferences.enqueueEpisodeAction(action);
+            }
+        }
+        EventBus.getDefault().post(FeedItemEvent.deletedMedia(Collections.singletonList(media.getItem())));
+        EventDistributor.getInstance().sendUnreadItemsUpdateBroadcast();
+
+        return true;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Deletes a Feed and all downloaded files of its components like images and downloaded episodes.
      *
@@ -157,8 +165,7 @@ public class DBWriter {
                 if (PlaybackPreferences.getCurrentlyPlayingMedia() == FeedMedia.PLAYABLE_TYPE_FEEDMEDIA
                         && PlaybackPreferences.getLastPlayedFeedId() == feed
                         .getId()) {
-                    context.sendBroadcast(new Intent(
-                            PlaybackService.ACTION_SHUTDOWN_PLAYBACK_SERVICE));
+                    IntentUtils.sendLocalBroadcast(context, PlaybackService.ACTION_SHUTDOWN_PLAYBACK_SERVICE);
                     SharedPreferences.Editor editor = prefs.edit();
                     editor.putLong(
                             PlaybackPreferences.PREF_CURRENTLY_PLAYING_FEED_ID,
@@ -166,17 +173,6 @@ public class DBWriter {
                     editor.commit();
                 }
 
-                // delete image file
-                if (feed.getImage() != null) {
-                    if (feed.getImage().isDownloaded()
-                            && feed.getImage().getFile_url() != null) {
-                        File imageFile = new File(feed.getImage()
-                                .getFile_url());
-                        imageFile.delete();
-                    } else if (requester.isDownloadingFile(feed.getImage())) {
-                        requester.cancelDownload(context, feed.getImage());
-                    }
-                }
                 // delete stored media files and mark them as read
                 List<FeedItem> queue = DBReader.getQueue();
                 List<FeedItem> removed = new ArrayList<>();
@@ -200,16 +196,6 @@ public class DBWriter {
                             && requester.isDownloadingFile(item.getMedia())) {
                         requester.cancelDownload(context, item.getMedia());
                     }
-
-                    if (item.hasItemImage()) {
-                        FeedImage image = item.getImage();
-                        if (image.isDownloaded() && image.getFile_url() != null) {
-                            File imgFile = new File(image.getFile_url());
-                            imgFile.delete();
-                        } else if (requester.isDownloadingFile(image)) {
-                            requester.cancelDownload(context, item.getImage());
-                        }
-                    }
                 }
                 PodDBAdapter adapter = PodDBAdapter.getInstance();
                 adapter.open();
@@ -437,38 +423,68 @@ public class DBWriter {
 
     /**
      * Removes a FeedItem object from the queue.
-     *
-     * @param context             A context that is used for opening a database connection.
-     * @param item                FeedItem that should be removed.
+     *  @param context             A context that is used for opening a database connection.
      * @param performAutoDownload true if an auto-download process should be started after the operation.
+     * @param item                FeedItem that should be removed.
      */
     public static Future<?> removeQueueItem(final Context context,
-                                            final FeedItem item, final boolean performAutoDownload) {
-        return dbExec.submit(() -> {
-            final PodDBAdapter adapter = PodDBAdapter.getInstance();
-            adapter.open();
-            final List<FeedItem> queue = DBReader.getQueue(adapter);
+                                            final boolean performAutoDownload, final FeedItem item) {
+        return dbExec.submit(() -> removeQueueItemSynchronous(context, performAutoDownload, item.getId()));
+    }
 
-            if (queue != null) {
-                int position = queue.indexOf(item);
+    public static Future<?> removeQueueItem(final Context context, final boolean performAutoDownload,
+                                            final long... itemIds) {
+        return dbExec.submit(() -> removeQueueItemSynchronous(context, performAutoDownload, itemIds));
+    }
+
+    private static void removeQueueItemSynchronous(final Context context,
+                                                   final boolean performAutoDownload,
+                                                   final long... itemIds) {
+        if (itemIds.length < 1) {
+            return;
+        }
+        final PodDBAdapter adapter = PodDBAdapter.getInstance();
+        adapter.open();
+        final List<FeedItem> queue = DBReader.getQueue(adapter);
+
+        if (queue != null) {
+            boolean queueModified = false;
+            List<QueueEvent> events = new ArrayList<>();
+            List<FeedItem> updatedItems = new ArrayList<>();
+            for (long itemId : itemIds) {
+                int position = indexInItemList(queue, itemId);
                 if (position >= 0) {
+                    final FeedItem item = DBReader.getFeedItem(itemId);
+                    if (item == null) {
+                        Log.e(TAG, "removeQueueItem - item in queue but somehow cannot be loaded." +
+                                " Item ignored. It should never happen. id:" + itemId);
+                        continue;
+                    }
                     queue.remove(position);
-                    adapter.setQueue(queue);
                     item.removeTag(FeedItem.TAG_QUEUE);
-                    EventBus.getDefault().post(QueueEvent.removed(item));
-                    EventBus.getDefault().post(FeedItemEvent.updated(item));
+                    events.add(QueueEvent.removed(item));
+                    updatedItems.add(item);
+                    queueModified = true;
                 } else {
-                    Log.w(TAG, "Queue was not modified by call to removeQueueItem");
+                    Log.v(TAG, "removeQueueItem - item  not in queue:" + itemId);
                 }
-            } else {
-                Log.e(TAG, "removeQueueItem: Could not load queue");
             }
-            adapter.close();
-            if (performAutoDownload) {
-                DBTasks.autodownloadUndownloadedItems(context);
+            if (queueModified) {
+                adapter.setQueue(queue);
+                for (QueueEvent event : events) {
+                    EventBus.getDefault().post(event);
+                }
+                EventBus.getDefault().post(FeedItemEvent.updated(updatedItems));
+            } else {
+                Log.w(TAG, "Queue was not modified by call to removeQueueItem");
             }
-        });
-
+        } else {
+            Log.e(TAG, "removeQueueItem: Could not load queue");
+        }
+        adapter.close();
+        if (performAutoDownload) {
+            DBTasks.autodownloadUndownloadedItems(context);
+        }
     }
 
     public static Future<?> addFavoriteItem(final FeedItem item) {
@@ -482,22 +498,6 @@ public class DBWriter {
         });
     }
 
-    public static Future<?> addFavoriteItemById(final long itemId) {
-        return dbExec.submit(() -> {
-            final FeedItem item = DBReader.getFeedItem(itemId);
-            if (item == null) {
-                Log.d(TAG, "Can't find item for itemId " + itemId);
-                return;
-            }
-            final PodDBAdapter adapter = PodDBAdapter.getInstance().open();
-            adapter.addFavoriteItem(item);
-            adapter.close();
-            item.addTag(FeedItem.TAG_FAVORITE);
-            EventBus.getDefault().post(FavoritesEvent.added(item));
-            EventBus.getDefault().post(FeedItemEvent.updated(item));
-        });
-    }
-
     public static Future<?> removeFavoriteItem(final FeedItem item) {
         return dbExec.submit(() -> {
             final PodDBAdapter adapter = PodDBAdapter.getInstance().open();
@@ -633,11 +633,13 @@ public class DBWriter {
      *                           FeedItem.NEW, FeedItem.UNPLAYED
      * @param resetMediaPosition true if this method should also reset the position of the FeedItem's FeedMedia object.
      */
+    @NonNull
     public static Future<?> markItemPlayed(FeedItem item, int played, boolean resetMediaPosition) {
         long mediaId = (item.hasMedia()) ? item.getMedia().getId() : 0;
         return markItemPlayed(item.getId(), played, mediaId, resetMediaPosition);
     }
 
+    @NonNull
     private static Future<?> markItemPlayed(final long itemId,
                                             final int played,
                                             final long mediaId,
@@ -786,21 +788,6 @@ public class DBWriter {
     }
 
     /**
-     * Saves a FeedImage object in the database. This method will save all attributes of the FeedImage object. The
-     * contents of FeedComponent-attributes (e.g. the FeedImages's 'feed'-attribute) will not be saved.
-     *
-     * @param image   The FeedImage object.
-     */
-    public static Future<?> setFeedImage(final FeedImage image) {
-        return dbExec.submit(() -> {
-            PodDBAdapter adapter = PodDBAdapter.getInstance();
-            adapter.open();
-            adapter.setImage(image);
-            adapter.close();
-        });
-    }
-
-    /**
      * Updates download URL of a feed
      */
     public static Future<?> updateFeedDownloadURL(final String original, final String updated) {
@@ -829,12 +816,17 @@ public class DBWriter {
     }
 
     private static boolean itemListContains(List<FeedItem> items, long itemId) {
-        for (FeedItem item : items) {
+        return  indexInItemList(items, itemId) >= 0;
+    }
+
+    private static int indexInItemList(List<FeedItem> items, long itemId) {
+        for (int i = 0; i < items.size(); i ++) {
+            FeedItem item = items.get(i);
             if (item.getId() == itemId) {
-                return true;
+                return i;
             }
         }
-        return false;
+        return -1;
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/DownloadRequester.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/DownloadRequester.java
index 7d4b737db..892a4675a 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/DownloadRequester.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/DownloadRequester.java
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.preferences.UserPreferences;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.download.DownloadRequest;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.download.DownloadService;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.FileNameGenerator;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.IntentUtils;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.URLChecker;
 
 
@@ -242,6 +243,7 @@ public class DownloadRequester {
             Log.d(TAG, "Cancelling download with url " + downloadUrl);
         Intent cancelIntent = new Intent(DownloadService.ACTION_CANCEL_DOWNLOAD);
         cancelIntent.putExtra(DownloadService.EXTRA_DOWNLOAD_URL, downloadUrl);
+        cancelIntent.setPackage(context.getPackageName());
         context.sendBroadcast(cancelIntent);
     }
 
@@ -250,8 +252,7 @@ public class DownloadRequester {
      */
     public synchronized void cancelAllDownloads(Context context) {
         Log.d(TAG, "Cancelling all running downloads");
-        context.sendBroadcast(new Intent(
-                DownloadService.ACTION_CANCEL_ALL_DOWNLOADS));
+        IntentUtils.sendLocalBroadcast(context, DownloadService.ACTION_CANCEL_ALL_DOWNLOADS);
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/FeedSearcher.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/FeedSearcher.java
index aa5706ad0..4093c41a5 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/FeedSearcher.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/FeedSearcher.java
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage;
 
 import android.content.Context;
+import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collections;
@@ -19,6 +20,8 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.comparator.SearchResultValueComparator;
  * Performs search on Feeds and FeedItems
  */
 public class FeedSearcher {
+    private FeedSearcher(){}
+
     private static final String TAG = "FeedSearcher";
 
 
@@ -33,6 +36,7 @@ public class FeedSearcher {
      * @param selectedFeed feed to search, 0 to search through all feeds
      * @return list of episodes containing the query
      */
+    @NonNull
     public static List<SearchResult> performSearch(final Context context,
                                                    final String query, final long selectedFeed) {
         final int values[] = {2, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0};
@@ -43,7 +47,7 @@ public class FeedSearcher {
                 context.getString(R.string.found_in_authors_label),
                 context.getString(R.string.found_in_feeds_label)};
 
-        List<SearchResult> result = new ArrayList<>();
+        final List<SearchResult> result = new ArrayList<>();
 
         List<FutureTask<List<FeedItem>>> tasks = new ArrayList<>();
         tasks.add(DBTasks.searchFeedItemTitle(context, selectedFeed, query));
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/PodDBAdapter.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/PodDBAdapter.java
index e82252310..1daa43025 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/PodDBAdapter.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/storage/PodDBAdapter.java
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage;
 
+import android.annotation.SuppressLint;
 import android.content.ContentValues;
 import android.content.Context;
 import android.database.Cursor;
@@ -12,9 +13,14 @@ import android.database.sqlite.SQLiteDatabase;
 import android.database.sqlite.SQLiteDatabase.CursorFactory;
 import android.database.sqlite.SQLiteOpenHelper;
 import android.media.MediaMetadataRetriever;
+import android.os.Build;
+import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
+import android.support.annotation.Nullable;
 import android.text.TextUtils;
 import android.util.Log;
 
+import org.apache.commons.io.FileUtils;
+
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.Arrays;
@@ -26,8 +32,6 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.R;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.event.ProgressEvent;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.Chapter;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.Feed;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedComponent;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedImage;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedItem;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedMedia;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedPreferences;
@@ -36,7 +40,6 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.download.DownloadStatus;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.LongIntMap;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.flattr.FlattrStatus;
 import de.greenrobot.event.EventBus;
-import org.apache.commons.io.FileUtils;
 
 // TODO Remove media column from feeditem table
 
@@ -74,8 +77,9 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
     public static final String KEY_SIZE = "filesize";
     public static final String KEY_MIME_TYPE = "mime_type";
     public static final String KEY_IMAGE = "image";
+    public static final String KEY_IMAGE_URL = "image_url";
     public static final String KEY_FEED = "feed";
-    private static final String KEY_MEDIA = "media";
+    public static final String KEY_MEDIA = "media";
     public static final String KEY_DOWNLOADED = "downloaded";
     public static final String KEY_LASTUPDATE = "last_update";
     public static final String KEY_FEEDFILE = "feedfile";
@@ -114,14 +118,14 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
     public static final String KEY_EXCLUDE_FILTER = "exclude_filter";
 
     // Table names
-    private static final String TABLE_NAME_FEEDS = "Feeds";
-    private static final String TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS = "FeedItems";
-    private static final String TABLE_NAME_FEED_IMAGES = "FeedImages";
-    private static final String TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA = "FeedMedia";
-    private static final String TABLE_NAME_DOWNLOAD_LOG = "DownloadLog";
-    private static final String TABLE_NAME_QUEUE = "Queue";
-    private static final String TABLE_NAME_SIMPLECHAPTERS = "SimpleChapters";
-    private static final String TABLE_NAME_FAVORITES = "Favorites";
+    static final String TABLE_NAME_FEEDS = "Feeds";
+    static final String TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS = "FeedItems";
+    static final String TABLE_NAME_FEED_IMAGES = "FeedImages";
+    static final String TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA = "FeedMedia";
+    static final String TABLE_NAME_DOWNLOAD_LOG = "DownloadLog";
+    static final String TABLE_NAME_QUEUE = "Queue";
+    static final String TABLE_NAME_SIMPLECHAPTERS = "SimpleChapters";
+    static final String TABLE_NAME_FAVORITES = "Favorites";
 
     // SQL Statements for creating new tables
     private static final String TABLE_PRIMARY_KEY = KEY_ID
@@ -133,7 +137,7 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
             + KEY_DOWNLOADED + " INTEGER," + KEY_LINK + " TEXT,"
             + KEY_DESCRIPTION + " TEXT," + KEY_PAYMENT_LINK + " TEXT,"
             + KEY_LASTUPDATE + " TEXT," + KEY_LANGUAGE + " TEXT," + KEY_AUTHOR
-            + " TEXT," + KEY_IMAGE + " INTEGER," + KEY_TYPE + " TEXT,"
+            + " TEXT," + KEY_IMAGE_URL + " TEXT," + KEY_TYPE + " TEXT,"
             + KEY_FEED_IDENTIFIER + " TEXT," + KEY_AUTO_DOWNLOAD + " INTEGER DEFAULT 1,"
             + KEY_FLATTR_STATUS + " INTEGER,"
             + KEY_USERNAME + " TEXT,"
@@ -155,14 +159,9 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
             + KEY_MEDIA + " INTEGER," + KEY_FEED + " INTEGER,"
             + KEY_HAS_CHAPTERS + " INTEGER," + KEY_ITEM_IDENTIFIER + " TEXT,"
             + KEY_FLATTR_STATUS + " INTEGER,"
-            + KEY_IMAGE + " INTEGER,"
+            + KEY_IMAGE_URL + " TEXT,"
             + KEY_AUTO_DOWNLOAD + " INTEGER)";
 
-    private static final String CREATE_TABLE_FEED_IMAGES = "CREATE TABLE "
-            + TABLE_NAME_FEED_IMAGES + " (" + TABLE_PRIMARY_KEY + KEY_TITLE
-            + " TEXT," + KEY_FILE_URL + " TEXT," + KEY_DOWNLOAD_URL + " TEXT,"
-            + KEY_DOWNLOADED + " INTEGER)";
-
     private static final String CREATE_TABLE_FEED_MEDIA = "CREATE TABLE "
             + TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA + " (" + TABLE_PRIMARY_KEY + KEY_DURATION
             + " INTEGER," + KEY_FILE_URL + " TEXT," + KEY_DOWNLOAD_URL
@@ -191,36 +190,31 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
             + KEY_LINK + " TEXT," + KEY_CHAPTER_TYPE + " INTEGER)";
 
     // SQL Statements for creating indexes
-    private static final String CREATE_INDEX_FEEDITEMS_FEED = "CREATE INDEX "
+    static final String CREATE_INDEX_FEEDITEMS_FEED = "CREATE INDEX "
             + TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "_" + KEY_FEED + " ON " + TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + " ("
             + KEY_FEED + ")";
 
-    private static final String CREATE_INDEX_FEEDITEMS_IMAGE = "CREATE INDEX "
-            + TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "_" + KEY_IMAGE + " ON " + TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + " ("
-            + KEY_IMAGE + ")";
-
-    private static final String CREATE_INDEX_FEEDITEMS_PUBDATE = "CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS "
+    static final String CREATE_INDEX_FEEDITEMS_PUBDATE = "CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS "
             + TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "_" + KEY_PUBDATE + " ON " + TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + " ("
             + KEY_PUBDATE + ")";
 
-    private static final String CREATE_INDEX_FEEDITEMS_READ = "CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS "
+    static final String CREATE_INDEX_FEEDITEMS_READ = "CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS "
             + TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "_" + KEY_READ + " ON " + TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + " ("
             + KEY_READ + ")";
 
-
-    private static final String CREATE_INDEX_QUEUE_FEEDITEM = "CREATE INDEX "
+    static final String CREATE_INDEX_QUEUE_FEEDITEM = "CREATE INDEX "
             + TABLE_NAME_QUEUE + "_" + KEY_FEEDITEM + " ON " + TABLE_NAME_QUEUE + " ("
             + KEY_FEEDITEM + ")";
 
-    private static final String CREATE_INDEX_FEEDMEDIA_FEEDITEM = "CREATE INDEX "
+    static final String CREATE_INDEX_FEEDMEDIA_FEEDITEM = "CREATE INDEX "
             + TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA + "_" + KEY_FEEDITEM + " ON " + TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA + " ("
             + KEY_FEEDITEM + ")";
 
-    private static final String CREATE_INDEX_SIMPLECHAPTERS_FEEDITEM = "CREATE INDEX "
+    static final String CREATE_INDEX_SIMPLECHAPTERS_FEEDITEM = "CREATE INDEX "
             + TABLE_NAME_SIMPLECHAPTERS + "_" + KEY_FEEDITEM + " ON " + TABLE_NAME_SIMPLECHAPTERS + " ("
             + KEY_FEEDITEM + ")";
 
-    private static final String CREATE_TABLE_FAVORITES = "CREATE TABLE "
+    static final String CREATE_TABLE_FAVORITES = "CREATE TABLE "
             + TABLE_NAME_FAVORITES + "(" + KEY_ID + " INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,"
             + KEY_FEEDITEM + " INTEGER," + KEY_FEED + " INTEGER)";
 
@@ -240,7 +234,7 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
             TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "." + KEY_LASTUPDATE,
             TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "." + KEY_LANGUAGE,
             TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "." + KEY_AUTHOR,
-            TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "." + KEY_IMAGE,
+            TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "." + KEY_IMAGE_URL,
             TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "." + KEY_TYPE,
             TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "." + KEY_FEED_IDENTIFIER,
             TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "." + KEY_AUTO_DOWNLOAD,
@@ -273,7 +267,7 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
             TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + KEY_HAS_CHAPTERS,
             TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + KEY_ITEM_IDENTIFIER,
             TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + KEY_FLATTR_STATUS,
-            TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + KEY_IMAGE,
+            TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + KEY_IMAGE_URL,
             TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + KEY_AUTO_DOWNLOAD
     };
 
@@ -283,7 +277,6 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
     private static final String[] ALL_TABLES = {
             TABLE_NAME_FEEDS,
             TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS,
-            TABLE_NAME_FEED_IMAGES,
             TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA,
             TABLE_NAME_DOWNLOAD_LOG,
             TABLE_NAME_QUEUE,
@@ -310,7 +303,6 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
     private static Context context;
 
     private static volatile SQLiteDatabase db;
-    private static int counter = 0;
 
     public static void init(Context context) {
         PodDBAdapter.context = context.getApplicationContext();
@@ -330,20 +322,20 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
     }
 
     public synchronized PodDBAdapter open() {
-        counter++;
-        Log.v(TAG, "Opening DB #" + counter);
-
         if (db == null || !db.isOpen() || db.isReadOnly()) {
             db = openDb();
         }
         return this;
     }
 
+    @SuppressLint("NewApi")
     private SQLiteDatabase openDb() {
         SQLiteDatabase newDb;
         try {
             newDb = SingletonHolder.dbHelper.getWritableDatabase();
-            newDb.enableWriteAheadLogging();
+            if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= 16) {
+                newDb.disableWriteAheadLogging();
+            }
         } catch (SQLException ex) {
             Log.e(TAG, Log.getStackTraceString(ex));
             newDb = SingletonHolder.dbHelper.getReadableDatabase();
@@ -352,14 +344,7 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
     }
 
     public synchronized void close() {
-        counter--;
-        Log.v(TAG, "Closing DB #" + counter);
-
-        if (counter == 0) {
-            Log.v(TAG, "Closing DB, really");
-            db.close();
-            db = null;
-        }
+        // do nothing
     }
 
     public static boolean deleteDatabase() {
@@ -388,12 +373,7 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
         values.put(KEY_PAYMENT_LINK, feed.getPaymentLink());
         values.put(KEY_AUTHOR, feed.getAuthor());
         values.put(KEY_LANGUAGE, feed.getLanguage());
-        if (feed.getImage() != null) {
-            if (feed.getImage().getId() == 0) {
-                setImage(feed.getImage());
-            }
-            values.put(KEY_IMAGE, feed.getImage().getId());
-        }
+        values.put(KEY_IMAGE_URL, feed.getImageUrl());
 
         values.put(KEY_FILE_URL, feed.getFile_url());
         values.put(KEY_DOWNLOAD_URL, feed.getDownload_url());
@@ -450,54 +430,7 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
     }
 
     /**
-     * Inserts or updates an image entry
-     *
-     * @return the id of the entry
-     */
-    public long setImage(FeedImage image) {
-        boolean startedTransaction = false;
-
-        try {
-            if (!db.inTransaction()) {
-                db.beginTransactionNonExclusive();
-                startedTransaction = true;
-            }
-
-            ContentValues values = new ContentValues();
-            values.put(KEY_TITLE, image.getTitle());
-            values.put(KEY_DOWNLOAD_URL, image.getDownload_url());
-            values.put(KEY_DOWNLOADED, image.isDownloaded());
-            values.put(KEY_FILE_URL, image.getFile_url());
-            if (image.getId() == 0) {
-                image.setId(db.insert(TABLE_NAME_FEED_IMAGES, null, values));
-            } else {
-                db.update(TABLE_NAME_FEED_IMAGES, values, KEY_ID + "=?",
-                        new String[]{String.valueOf(image.getId())});
-            }
-
-            final FeedComponent owner = image.getOwner();
-            if (owner != null && owner.getId() != 0) {
-                values.clear();
-                values.put(KEY_IMAGE, image.getId());
-                if (owner instanceof Feed) {
-                    db.update(TABLE_NAME_FEEDS, values, KEY_ID + "=?", new String[]{String.valueOf(image.getOwner().getId())});
-                }
-            }
-            if (startedTransaction) {
-                db.setTransactionSuccessful();
-            }
-        } catch (SQLException e) {
-            Log.e(TAG, Log.getStackTraceString(e));
-        } finally {
-            if (startedTransaction) {
-                db.endTransaction();
-            }
-        }
-        return image.getId();
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Inserts or updates an image entry
+     * Inserts or updates a media entry
      *
      * @return the id of the entry
      */
@@ -608,31 +541,6 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
     }
 
     /**
-     * Counts feeds and feed items in the flattr queue
-     */
-    public int getFlattrQueueSize() {
-        int res = 0;
-        Cursor c = db.rawQuery(String.format("SELECT count(*) FROM %s WHERE %s=%s",
-                TABLE_NAME_FEEDS, KEY_FLATTR_STATUS, String.valueOf(FlattrStatus.STATUS_QUEUE)), null);
-        if (c.moveToFirst()) {
-            res = c.getInt(0);
-            c.close();
-        } else {
-            Log.e(TAG, "Unable to determine size of flattr queue: Could not count number of feeds");
-        }
-        c = db.rawQuery(String.format("SELECT count(*) FROM %s WHERE %s=%s",
-                TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS, KEY_FLATTR_STATUS, String.valueOf(FlattrStatus.STATUS_QUEUE)), null);
-        if (c.moveToFirst()) {
-            res += c.getInt(0);
-            c.close();
-        } else {
-            Log.e(TAG, "Unable to determine size of flattr queue: Could not count number of feed items");
-        }
-
-        return res;
-    }
-
-    /**
      * Updates the download URL of a Feed.
      */
     public void setFeedDownloadUrl(String original, String updated) {
@@ -759,12 +667,7 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
         values.put(KEY_ITEM_IDENTIFIER, item.getItemIdentifier());
         values.put(KEY_FLATTR_STATUS, item.getFlattrStatus().toLong());
         values.put(KEY_AUTO_DOWNLOAD, item.getAutoDownload());
-        if (item.hasItemImage()) {
-            if (item.getImage().getId() == 0) {
-                setImage(item.getImage());
-            }
-            values.put(KEY_IMAGE, item.getImage().getId());
-        }
+        values.put(KEY_IMAGE_URL, item.getImageUrl());
 
         if (item.getId() == 0) {
             item.setId(db.insert(TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS, null, values));
@@ -944,17 +847,6 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
         return count > 0;
     }
 
-    public long getDownloadLogSize() {
-        final String query = String.format("SELECT COUNT(%s) FROM %s", KEY_ID, TABLE_NAME_DOWNLOAD_LOG);
-        Cursor result = db.rawQuery(query, null);
-        long count = 0;
-        if (result.moveToFirst()) {
-            count = result.getLong(0);
-        }
-        result.close();
-        return count;
-    }
-
     public void setQueue(List<FeedItem> queue) {
         ContentValues values = new ContentValues();
         try {
@@ -993,11 +885,6 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
                 new String[]{String.valueOf(item.getId())});
     }
 
-    private void removeFeedImage(FeedImage image) {
-        db.delete(TABLE_NAME_FEED_IMAGES, KEY_ID + "=?",
-                new String[]{String.valueOf(image.getId())});
-    }
-
     /**
      * Remove a FeedItem and its FeedMedia entry.
      */
@@ -1008,9 +895,6 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
         if (item.hasChapters() || item.getChapters() != null) {
             removeChaptersOfItem(item);
         }
-        if (item.hasItemImage()) {
-            removeFeedImage(item.getImage());
-        }
         db.delete(TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS, KEY_ID + "=?",
                 new String[]{String.valueOf(item.getId())});
     }
@@ -1021,9 +905,6 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
     public void removeFeed(Feed feed) {
         try {
             db.beginTransactionNonExclusive();
-            if (feed.getImage() != null) {
-                removeFeedImage(feed.getImage());
-            }
             if (feed.getItems() != null) {
                 for (FeedItem item : feed.getItems()) {
                     removeFeedItem(item);
@@ -1094,18 +975,6 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
     }
 
     /**
-     * Returns a cursor for a DB query in the FeedMedia table for a given ID.
-     *
-     * @param item The item you want to get the FeedMedia from
-     * @return The cursor of the query
-     */
-    public final Cursor getFeedMediaOfItemCursor(final FeedItem item) {
-        return db.query(TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA, null, KEY_ID + "=?",
-                new String[]{String.valueOf(item.getMedia().getId())}, null,
-                null, null);
-    }
-
-    /**
      * Returns a cursor for a DB query in the FeedImages table for given IDs.
      *
      * @param imageIds IDs of the images
@@ -1363,17 +1232,12 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
     public Cursor getImageAuthenticationCursor(final String imageUrl) {
         String downloadUrl = DatabaseUtils.sqlEscapeString(imageUrl);
         final String query = ""
-                + "SELECT " + KEY_USERNAME + "," + KEY_PASSWORD + " FROM " + TABLE_NAME_FEED_IMAGES
+                + "SELECT " + KEY_USERNAME + "," + KEY_PASSWORD + " FROM " + TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS
                 + " INNER JOIN " + TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
-                + " ON " + TABLE_NAME_FEED_IMAGES + "." + KEY_ID + "=" + TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "." + KEY_IMAGE
-                + " WHERE " + TABLE_NAME_FEED_IMAGES + "." + KEY_DOWNLOAD_URL + "=" + downloadUrl
-                + " UNION SELECT " + KEY_USERNAME + "," + KEY_PASSWORD
-                + " FROM " + TABLE_NAME_FEED_IMAGES
-                + " INNER JOIN " + TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS
-                + " ON " + TABLE_NAME_FEED_IMAGES + "." + KEY_ID + "=" + TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + KEY_IMAGE
-                + " INNER JOIN " + TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
-                + " ON " + TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + KEY_FEED + "=" + TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "." + KEY_ID
-                + " WHERE " + TABLE_NAME_FEED_IMAGES + "." + KEY_DOWNLOAD_URL + "=" + downloadUrl;
+                + " ON " + TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + KEY_FEED + " = " + TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "." + KEY_ID
+                + " WHERE " + TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + KEY_IMAGE_URL + "=" + downloadUrl
+                + " UNION SELECT " + KEY_USERNAME + "," + KEY_PASSWORD + " FROM " + TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
+                + " WHERE " + TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "." + KEY_IMAGE_URL + "=" + downloadUrl;
         return db.rawQuery(query, null);
     }
 
@@ -1389,9 +1253,15 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
     }
 
     public final int getNumberOfNewItems() {
-        final String query = "SELECT COUNT(" + KEY_ID + ")"
-                + " FROM " + TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS
-                + " WHERE " + KEY_READ + "=" + FeedItem.NEW;
+        Object[] args = new String[]{
+                TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + KEY_ID,
+                TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS,
+                TABLE_NAME_FEEDS,
+                TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + KEY_FEED + "=" + TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "." + KEY_ID,
+                TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + KEY_READ + "=" + FeedItem.NEW
+                        + " AND " + TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "." + KEY_KEEP_UPDATED + " > 0"
+        };
+        final String query = String.format("SELECT COUNT(%s) FROM %s INNER JOIN %s ON %s WHERE %s", args);
         Cursor c = db.rawQuery(query, null);
         int result = 0;
         if (c.moveToFirst()) {
@@ -1672,7 +1542,7 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
      */
     private static class PodDBHelper extends SQLiteOpenHelper {
 
-        private static final int VERSION = 1060200;
+        private static final int VERSION = 1060596;
 
         private final Context context;
 
@@ -1693,7 +1563,6 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
         public void onCreate(final SQLiteDatabase db) {
             db.execSQL(CREATE_TABLE_FEEDS);
             db.execSQL(CREATE_TABLE_FEED_ITEMS);
-            db.execSQL(CREATE_TABLE_FEED_IMAGES);
             db.execSQL(CREATE_TABLE_FEED_MEDIA);
             db.execSQL(CREATE_TABLE_DOWNLOAD_LOG);
             db.execSQL(CREATE_TABLE_QUEUE);
@@ -1701,7 +1570,6 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
             db.execSQL(CREATE_TABLE_FAVORITES);
 
             db.execSQL(CREATE_INDEX_FEEDITEMS_FEED);
-            db.execSQL(CREATE_INDEX_FEEDITEMS_IMAGE);
             db.execSQL(CREATE_INDEX_FEEDITEMS_PUBDATE);
             db.execSQL(CREATE_INDEX_FEEDITEMS_READ);
             db.execSQL(CREATE_INDEX_FEEDMEDIA_FEEDITEM);
@@ -1716,263 +1584,7 @@ public class PodDBAdapter {
             EventBus.getDefault().post(ProgressEvent.start(context.getString(R.string.progress_upgrading_database)));
             Log.w("DBAdapter", "Upgrading from version " + oldVersion + " to "
                     + newVersion + ".");
-            if (oldVersion <= 1) {
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + " ADD COLUMN "
-                        + KEY_TYPE + " TEXT");
-            }
-            if (oldVersion <= 2) {
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_SIMPLECHAPTERS
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + KEY_LINK + " TEXT");
-            }
-            if (oldVersion <= 3) {
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + KEY_ITEM_IDENTIFIER + " TEXT");
-            }
-            if (oldVersion <= 4) {
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + " ADD COLUMN "
-                        + KEY_FEED_IDENTIFIER + " TEXT");
-            }
-            if (oldVersion <= 5) {
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_DOWNLOAD_LOG
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + KEY_REASON_DETAILED + " TEXT");
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_DOWNLOAD_LOG
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + KEY_DOWNLOADSTATUS_TITLE + " TEXT");
-            }
-            if (oldVersion <= 6) {
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_SIMPLECHAPTERS
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + KEY_CHAPTER_TYPE + " INTEGER");
-            }
-            if (oldVersion <= 7) {
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + KEY_PLAYBACK_COMPLETION_DATE
-                        + " INTEGER");
-            }
-            if (oldVersion <= 8) {
-                final int KEY_ID_POSITION = 0;
-                final int KEY_MEDIA_POSITION = 1;
-
-                // Add feeditem column to feedmedia table
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + KEY_FEEDITEM
-                        + " INTEGER");
-                Cursor feeditemCursor = db.query(PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS,
-                        new String[]{KEY_ID, KEY_MEDIA}, "? > 0",
-                        new String[]{KEY_MEDIA}, null, null, null);
-                if (feeditemCursor.moveToFirst()) {
-                    db.beginTransaction();
-                    ContentValues contentValues = new ContentValues();
-                    do {
-                        long mediaId = feeditemCursor.getLong(KEY_MEDIA_POSITION);
-                        contentValues.put(KEY_FEEDITEM, feeditemCursor.getLong(KEY_ID_POSITION));
-                        db.update(PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA, contentValues, KEY_ID + "=?", new String[]{String.valueOf(mediaId)});
-                        contentValues.clear();
-                    } while (feeditemCursor.moveToNext());
-                    db.setTransactionSuccessful();
-                    db.endTransaction();
-                }
-                feeditemCursor.close();
-            }
-            if (oldVersion <= 9) {
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + KEY_AUTO_DOWNLOAD
-                        + " INTEGER DEFAULT 1");
-            }
-            if (oldVersion <= 10) {
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + KEY_FLATTR_STATUS
-                        + " INTEGER");
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + KEY_FLATTR_STATUS
-                        + " INTEGER");
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + KEY_PLAYED_DURATION
-                        + " INTEGER");
-            }
-            if (oldVersion <= 11) {
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + KEY_USERNAME
-                        + " TEXT");
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + KEY_PASSWORD
-                        + " TEXT");
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + KEY_IMAGE
-                        + " INTEGER");
-            }
-            if (oldVersion <= 12) {
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + KEY_IS_PAGED + " INTEGER DEFAULT 0");
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + KEY_NEXT_PAGE_LINK + " TEXT");
-            }
-            if (oldVersion <= 13) {
-                // remove duplicate rows in "Chapters" table that were created because of a bug.
-                db.execSQL(String.format("DELETE FROM %s WHERE %s NOT IN " +
-                                "(SELECT MIN(%s) as %s FROM %s GROUP BY %s,%s,%s,%s,%s)",
-                        PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_SIMPLECHAPTERS,
-                        KEY_ID,
-                        KEY_ID,
-                        KEY_ID,
-                        PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_SIMPLECHAPTERS,
-                        KEY_TITLE,
-                        KEY_START,
-                        KEY_FEEDITEM,
-                        KEY_LINK,
-                        KEY_CHAPTER_TYPE));
-            }
-            if (oldVersion <= 14) {
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + KEY_AUTO_DOWNLOAD + " INTEGER");
-                db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS
-                        + " SET " + KEY_AUTO_DOWNLOAD + " = "
-                        + "(SELECT " + KEY_AUTO_DOWNLOAD
-                        + " FROM " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
-                        + " WHERE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "." + KEY_ID
-                        + " = " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + KEY_FEED + ")");
-
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + KEY_HIDE + " TEXT");
-
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + KEY_LAST_UPDATE_FAILED + " INTEGER DEFAULT 0");
-
-                // create indexes
-                db.execSQL(PodDBAdapter.CREATE_INDEX_FEEDITEMS_FEED);
-                db.execSQL(PodDBAdapter.CREATE_INDEX_FEEDITEMS_IMAGE);
-                db.execSQL(PodDBAdapter.CREATE_INDEX_FEEDMEDIA_FEEDITEM);
-                db.execSQL(PodDBAdapter.CREATE_INDEX_QUEUE_FEEDITEM);
-                db.execSQL(PodDBAdapter.CREATE_INDEX_SIMPLECHAPTERS_FEEDITEM);
-            }
-            if (oldVersion <= 15) {
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + KEY_HAS_EMBEDDED_PICTURE + " INTEGER DEFAULT -1");
-                db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA
-                        + " SET " + KEY_HAS_EMBEDDED_PICTURE + "=0"
-                        + " WHERE " + KEY_DOWNLOADED + "=0");
-                Cursor c = db.rawQuery("SELECT " + KEY_FILE_URL
-                        + " FROM " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA
-                        + " WHERE " + KEY_DOWNLOADED + "=1 "
-                        + " AND " + KEY_HAS_EMBEDDED_PICTURE + "=-1", null);
-                if (c.moveToFirst()) {
-                    MediaMetadataRetriever mmr = new MediaMetadataRetriever();
-                    do {
-                        String fileUrl = c.getString(0);
-                        try {
-                            mmr.setDataSource(fileUrl);
-                            byte[] image = mmr.getEmbeddedPicture();
-                            if (image != null) {
-                                db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA
-                                        + " SET " + KEY_HAS_EMBEDDED_PICTURE + "=1"
-                                        + " WHERE " + KEY_FILE_URL + "='" + fileUrl + "'");
-                            } else {
-                                db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA
-                                        + " SET " + KEY_HAS_EMBEDDED_PICTURE + "=0"
-                                        + " WHERE " + KEY_FILE_URL + "='" + fileUrl + "'");
-                            }
-                        } catch (Exception e) {
-                            e.printStackTrace();
-                        }
-                    } while (c.moveToNext());
-                }
-                c.close();
-            }
-            if (oldVersion <= 16) {
-                String selectNew = "SELECT " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + KEY_ID
-                        + " FROM " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS
-                        + " INNER JOIN " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA + " ON "
-                        + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + KEY_ID + "="
-                        + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA + "." + KEY_FEEDITEM
-                        + " LEFT OUTER JOIN " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_QUEUE + " ON "
-                        + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + KEY_ID + "="
-                        + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_QUEUE + "." + KEY_FEEDITEM
-                        + " WHERE "
-                        + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS + "." + KEY_READ + " = 0 AND " // unplayed
-                        + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA + "." + KEY_DOWNLOADED + " = 0 AND " // undownloaded
-                        + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA + "." + KEY_POSITION + " = 0 AND " // not partially played
-                        + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_QUEUE + "." + KEY_ID + " IS NULL"; // not in queue
-                String sql = "UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_ITEMS
-                        + " SET " + KEY_READ + "=" + FeedItem.NEW
-                        + " WHERE " + KEY_ID + " IN (" + selectNew + ")";
-                Log.d("Migration", "SQL: " + sql);
-                db.execSQL(sql);
-            }
-            if (oldVersion <= 17) {
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_AUTO_DELETE_ACTION + " INTEGER DEFAULT 0");
-            }
-            if (oldVersion < 1030005) {
-                db.execSQL("UPDATE FeedItems SET auto_download=0 WHERE " +
-                        "(read=1 OR id IN (SELECT feeditem FROM FeedMedia WHERE position>0 OR downloaded=1)) " +
-                        "AND id NOT IN (SELECT feeditem FROM Queue)");
-            }
-            if (oldVersion < 1040001) {
-                db.execSQL(CREATE_TABLE_FAVORITES);
-            }
-            if (oldVersion < 1040002) {
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEED_MEDIA
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_LAST_PLAYED_TIME + " INTEGER DEFAULT 0");
-            }
-            if (oldVersion < 1040013) {
-                db.execSQL(PodDBAdapter.CREATE_INDEX_FEEDITEMS_PUBDATE);
-                db.execSQL(PodDBAdapter.CREATE_INDEX_FEEDITEMS_READ);
-            }
-            if (oldVersion < 1050003) {
-                // Migrates feed list filter data
-
-                db.beginTransaction();
-
-                // Change to intermediate values to avoid overwriting in the following find/replace
-                db.execSQL("UPDATE " + TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "\n" +
-                        "SET " + KEY_HIDE + " = replace(" + KEY_HIDE + ", 'unplayed', 'noplay')");
-                db.execSQL("UPDATE " + TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "\n" +
-                        "SET " + KEY_HIDE + " = replace(" + KEY_HIDE + ", 'not_queued', 'noqueue')");
-                db.execSQL("UPDATE " + TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "\n" +
-                        "SET " + KEY_HIDE + " = replace(" + KEY_HIDE + ", 'not_downloaded', 'nodl')");
-
-                // Replace played, queued, and downloaded with their opposites
-                db.execSQL("UPDATE " + TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "\n" +
-                        "SET " + KEY_HIDE + " = replace(" + KEY_HIDE + ", 'played', 'unplayed')");
-                db.execSQL("UPDATE " + TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "\n" +
-                        "SET " + KEY_HIDE + " = replace(" + KEY_HIDE + ", 'queued', 'not_queued')");
-                db.execSQL("UPDATE " + TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "\n" +
-                        "SET " + KEY_HIDE + " = replace(" + KEY_HIDE + ", 'downloaded', 'not_downloaded')");
-
-                // Now replace intermediates for unplayed, not queued, etc. with their opposites
-                db.execSQL("UPDATE " + TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "\n" +
-                        "SET " + KEY_HIDE + " = replace(" + KEY_HIDE + ", 'noplay', 'played')");
-                db.execSQL("UPDATE " + TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "\n" +
-                        "SET " + KEY_HIDE + " = replace(" + KEY_HIDE + ", 'noqueue', 'queued')");
-                db.execSQL("UPDATE " + TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "\n" +
-                        "SET " + KEY_HIDE + " = replace(" + KEY_HIDE + ", 'nodl', 'downloaded')");
-
-                // Paused doesn't have an opposite, so unplayed is the next best option
-                db.execSQL("UPDATE " + TABLE_NAME_FEEDS + "\n" +
-                        "SET " + KEY_HIDE + " = replace(" + KEY_HIDE + ", 'paused', 'unplayed')");
-
-                db.setTransactionSuccessful();
-                db.endTransaction();
-
-                // and now get ready for autodownload filters
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_INCLUDE_FILTER + " TEXT DEFAULT ''");
-
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_EXCLUDE_FILTER + " TEXT DEFAULT ''");
-
-                // and now auto refresh
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_KEEP_UPDATED + " INTEGER DEFAULT 1");
-            }
-            if (oldVersion < 1050004) {
-                // prevent old timestamps to be misinterpreted as ETags
-                db.execSQL("UPDATE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
-                        + " SET " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_LASTUPDATE + "=NULL");
-            }
-            if (oldVersion < 1060200) {
-                db.execSQL("ALTER TABLE " + PodDBAdapter.TABLE_NAME_FEEDS
-                        + " ADD COLUMN " + PodDBAdapter.KEY_CUSTOM_TITLE + " TEXT");
-            }
-
+            DBUpgrader.upgrade(db, oldVersion, newVersion);
             EventBus.getDefault().post(ProgressEvent.end());
         }
     }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/handler/TypeGetter.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/handler/TypeGetter.java
index ee0a71f30..b4c77e58d 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/handler/TypeGetter.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/handler/TypeGetter.java
@@ -54,18 +54,19 @@ public class TypeGetter {
 								return Type.ATOM;
 							case RSS_ROOT:
 								String strVersion = xpp.getAttributeValue(null, "version");
-								if (strVersion != null) {
-									if (strVersion.equals("2.0")) {
-										feed.setType(Feed.TYPE_RSS2);
-										Log.d(TAG, "Recognized type RSS 2.0");
-										return Type.RSS20;
-									} else if (strVersion.equals("0.91")
-											|| strVersion.equals("0.92")) {
-										Log.d(TAG, "Recognized type RSS 0.91/0.92");
-										return Type.RSS091;
-									}
+								if (strVersion == null) {
+									feed.setType(Feed.TYPE_RSS2);
+									Log.d(TAG, "Assuming type RSS 2.0");
+									return Type.RSS20;
+								} else if (strVersion.equals("2.0")) {
+									feed.setType(Feed.TYPE_RSS2);
+									Log.d(TAG, "Recognized type RSS 2.0");
+									return Type.RSS20;
+								} else if (strVersion.equals("0.91") || strVersion.equals("0.92")) {
+									Log.d(TAG, "Recognized type RSS 0.91/0.92");
+									return Type.RSS091;
 								}
-								throw new UnsupportedFeedtypeException(Type.INVALID);
+								throw new UnsupportedFeedtypeException("Unsupported rss version");
 							default:
 								Log.d(TAG, "Type is invalid");
 								throw new UnsupportedFeedtypeException(Type.INVALID, tag);
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/handler/UnsupportedFeedtypeException.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/handler/UnsupportedFeedtypeException.java
index 606f93faf..fd7d0a4e1 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/handler/UnsupportedFeedtypeException.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/handler/UnsupportedFeedtypeException.java
@@ -5,7 +5,8 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.syndication.handler.TypeGetter.Type;
 public class UnsupportedFeedtypeException extends Exception {
 	private static final long serialVersionUID = 9105878964928170669L;
 	private final TypeGetter.Type type;
-    private String rootElement;
+	private String rootElement;
+	private String message = null;
 	
 	public UnsupportedFeedtypeException(Type type) {
 		super();
@@ -17,6 +18,11 @@ public class UnsupportedFeedtypeException extends Exception {
         this.rootElement = rootElement;
     }
 
+	public UnsupportedFeedtypeException(String message) {
+		this.message = message;
+		type = Type.INVALID;
+	}
+
     public TypeGetter.Type getType() {
 		return type;
 	}
@@ -27,7 +33,9 @@ public class UnsupportedFeedtypeException extends Exception {
 
     @Override
 	public String getMessage() {
-		if (type == TypeGetter.Type.INVALID) {
+		if (message != null) {
+			return message;
+		} else if (type == TypeGetter.Type.INVALID) {
 			return "Invalid type";
 		} else {
 			return "Type " + type + " not supported";
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/namespace/NSITunes.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/namespace/NSITunes.java
index 670e99fce..b3b8a40ce 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/namespace/NSITunes.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/namespace/NSITunes.java
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import org.xml.sax.Attributes;
 
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedImage;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.syndication.handler.HandlerState;
 
 public class NSITunes extends Namespace {
@@ -16,7 +15,6 @@ public class NSITunes extends Namespace {
     public static final String NSURI = "http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd";
 
     private static final String IMAGE = "image";
-    private static final String IMAGE_TITLE = "image";
     private static final String IMAGE_HREF = "href";
 
     private static final String AUTHOR = "author";
@@ -29,21 +27,15 @@ public class NSITunes extends Namespace {
     public SyndElement handleElementStart(String localName, HandlerState state,
                                           Attributes attributes) {
         if (IMAGE.equals(localName)) {
-            FeedImage image = new FeedImage();
-            image.setTitle(IMAGE_TITLE);
-            image.setDownload_url(attributes.getValue(IMAGE_HREF));
+            String url = attributes.getValue(IMAGE_HREF);
 
             if (state.getCurrentItem() != null) {
-                // this is an items image
-                image.setTitle(state.getCurrentItem().getTitle() + IMAGE_TITLE);
-                image.setOwner(state.getCurrentItem());
-                state.getCurrentItem().setImage(image);
+                state.getCurrentItem().setImageUrl(url);
             } else {
                 // this is the feed image
                 // prefer to all other images
-                if (!TextUtils.isEmpty(image.getDownload_url())) {
-                    image.setOwner(state.getFeed());
-                    state.getFeed().setImage(image);
+                if (!TextUtils.isEmpty(url)) {
+                    state.getFeed().setImageUrl(url);
                 }
             }
         }
@@ -55,6 +47,9 @@ public class NSITunes extends Namespace {
         if(state.getContentBuf() == null) {
             return;
         }
+        SyndElement secondElement = state.getSecondTag();
+        String second = secondElement.getName();
+
         if (AUTHOR.equals(localName)) {
             if (state.getFeed() != null) {
                 String author = state.getContentBuf().toString();
@@ -103,10 +98,9 @@ public class NSITunes extends Namespace {
             }
             if (state.getCurrentItem() != null &&
                     (TextUtils.isEmpty(state.getCurrentItem().getDescription()) ||
-                            state.getCurrentItem().getDescription().length() * 1.25 < summary.length())
-            ) {
+                            state.getCurrentItem().getDescription().length() * 1.25 < summary.length())) {
                 state.getCurrentItem().setDescription(summary);
-            } else if (state.getFeed() != null) {
+            } else if (NSRSS20.CHANNEL.equals(second) && state.getFeed() != null) {
                 state.getFeed().setDescription(summary);
             }
         }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/namespace/NSMedia.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/namespace/NSMedia.java
index f2cfc2e57..638383223 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/namespace/NSMedia.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/namespace/NSMedia.java
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import org.xml.sax.Attributes;
 
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedImage;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedMedia;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.syndication.handler.HandlerState;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.syndication.namespace.atom.AtomText;
@@ -94,25 +93,16 @@ public class NSMedia extends Namespace {
 				}
 				state.getCurrentItem().setMedia(media);
 			} else if (state.getCurrentItem() != null && url != null && validTypeImage) {
-				FeedImage image = new FeedImage();
-				image.setDownload_url(url);
-				image.setOwner(state.getCurrentItem());
-
-				state.getCurrentItem().setImage(image);
+				state.getCurrentItem().setImageUrl(url);
 			}
 		} else if (IMAGE.equals(localName)) {
 			String url = attributes.getValue(IMAGE_URL);
 			if (url != null) {
-				FeedImage image = new FeedImage();
-				image.setDownload_url(url);
-
 				if (state.getCurrentItem() != null) {
-					image.setOwner(state.getCurrentItem());
-					state.getCurrentItem().setImage(image);
+					state.getCurrentItem().setImageUrl(url);
 				} else {
-					if (state.getFeed().getImage() == null) {
-						image.setOwner(state.getFeed());
-						state.getFeed().setImage(image);
+					if (state.getFeed().getImageUrl() == null) {
+						state.getFeed().setImageUrl(url);
 					}
 				}
 			}
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/namespace/NSRSS20.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/namespace/NSRSS20.java
index 3d752df76..e391af1b2 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/namespace/NSRSS20.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/namespace/NSRSS20.java
@@ -5,8 +5,6 @@ import android.util.Log;
 
 import org.xml.sax.Attributes;
 
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.Feed;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedImage;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedItem;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedMedia;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.syndication.handler.HandlerState;
@@ -23,9 +21,6 @@ public class NSRSS20 extends Namespace {
 
     private static final String TAG = "NSRSS20";
 
-    private static final String NSTAG = "rss";
-	private static final String NSURI = "";
-
     public static final String CHANNEL = "channel";
 	public static final String ITEM = "item";
     private static final String GUID = "guid";
@@ -77,17 +72,6 @@ public class NSRSS20 extends Namespace {
 				state.getCurrentItem().setMedia(media);
 			}
 
-		} else if (IMAGE.equals(localName)) {
-			if (state.getTagstack().size() >= 1) {
-				String parent = state.getTagstack().peek().getName();
-				if (CHANNEL.equals(parent)) {
-					Feed feed = state.getFeed();
-					if(feed != null && feed.getImage() == null) {
-						feed.setImage(new FeedImage());
-						feed.getImage().setOwner(state.getFeed());
-					}
-				}
-			}
 		}
 		return new SyndElement(localName, this);
 	}
@@ -134,11 +118,6 @@ public class NSRSS20 extends Namespace {
 					state.getCurrentItem().setTitle(title);
 				} else if (CHANNEL.equals(second) && state.getFeed() != null) {
 					state.getFeed().setTitle(title);
-				} else if (IMAGE.equals(second) && CHANNEL.equals(third)) {
-					if(state.getFeed() != null && state.getFeed().getImage() != null &&
-						state.getFeed().getImage().getTitle() == null) {
-						state.getFeed().getImage().setTitle(title);
-					}
 				}
 			} else if (LINK.equals(top)) {
 				if (CHANNEL.equals(second) && state.getFeed() != null) {
@@ -150,9 +129,8 @@ public class NSRSS20 extends Namespace {
 				state.getCurrentItem().setPubDate(DateUtils.parse(content));
 			} else if (URL.equals(top) && IMAGE.equals(second) && CHANNEL.equals(third)) {
 				// prefer itunes:image
-				if(state.getFeed() != null && state.getFeed().getImage() != null &&
-					state.getFeed().getImage().getDownload_url() == null) {
-					state.getFeed().getImage().setDownload_url(content);
+				if (state.getFeed() != null) {
+					state.getFeed().setImageUrl(content);
 				}
 			} else if (DESCR.equals(localName)) {
 				if (CHANNEL.equals(second) && state.getFeed() != null) {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/namespace/Namespace.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/namespace/Namespace.java
index 1836bbec1..e5fbdb9bb 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/namespace/Namespace.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/namespace/Namespace.java
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ public abstract class Namespace {
 	public abstract SyndElement handleElementStart(String localName, HandlerState state, Attributes attributes);
 	
 	/** Called by a Feedhandler when in endElement and it detects a namespace element 
-	 * 	@return true if namespace handled the element, false if it ignored it
 	 * */
 	public abstract void handleElementEnd(String localName, HandlerState state);
 	
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/namespace/atom/NSAtom.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/namespace/atom/NSAtom.java
index 1fe388d9d..83957456a 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/namespace/atom/NSAtom.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/syndication/namespace/atom/NSAtom.java
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ import android.util.Log;
 
 import org.xml.sax.Attributes;
 
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedImage;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedItem;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedMedia;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.syndication.handler.HandlerState;
@@ -48,8 +47,6 @@ public class NSAtom extends Namespace {
     private static final String LINK_REL_ARCHIVES = "archives";
     private static final String LINK_REL_ENCLOSURE = "enclosure";
     private static final String LINK_REL_PAYMENT = "payment";
-    private static final String LINK_REL_RELATED = "related";
-    private static final String LINK_REL_SELF = "self";
     private static final String LINK_REL_NEXT = "next";
     // type-values
     private static final String LINK_TYPE_ATOM = "application/atom+xml";
@@ -210,10 +207,10 @@ public class NSAtom extends Namespace {
                 state.getCurrentItem().setPubDate(DateUtils.parse(content));
             } else if (PUBLISHED.equals(top) && ENTRY.equals(second) && state.getCurrentItem() != null) {
                 state.getCurrentItem().setPubDate(DateUtils.parse(content));
-            } else if (IMAGE_LOGO.equals(top) && state.getFeed() != null && state.getFeed().getImage() == null) {
-                state.getFeed().setImage(new FeedImage(state.getFeed(), content, null));
+            } else if (IMAGE_LOGO.equals(top) && state.getFeed() != null && state.getFeed().getImageUrl() == null) {
+                state.getFeed().setImageUrl(content);
             } else if (IMAGE_ICON.equals(top) && state.getFeed() != null) {
-                state.getFeed().setImage(new FeedImage(state.getFeed(), content, null));
+                state.getFeed().setImageUrl(content);
             } else if (AUTHOR_NAME.equals(top) && AUTHOR.equals(second) &&
                     state.getFeed() != null && state.getCurrentItem() == null) {
                 String currentName = state.getFeed().getAuthor();
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/Consumer.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/Consumer.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..13a87af0d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/Consumer.java
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util;
+
+public interface Consumer<T> {
+    void accept(T t);
+}
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/Converter.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/Converter.java
index b513fbe99..6ecca941a 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/Converter.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/Converter.java
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ public final class Converter {
     /** Determines the length of the number for best readability.*/
     private static final int NUM_LENGTH = 1024;
     
-    private static final int DAYS_MIL = 86400000;
     private static final int HOURS_MIL = 3600000;
 	private static final int MINUTES_MIL = 60000;
 	private static final int SECONDS_MIL = 1000;
@@ -75,13 +74,14 @@ public final class Converter {
     	return String.format(Locale.getDefault(), "%02d:%02d:%02d", h, m, s);
     }
     
-    /** Converts milliseconds to a string containing hours and minutes */
-    public static String getDurationStringShort(int duration) {
-    	int h = duration / HOURS_MIL;
-    	int rest = duration - h * HOURS_MIL;
-    	int m = rest / MINUTES_MIL;
-    	
-    	return String.format(Locale.getDefault(), "%02d:%02d", h, m);
+    /** Converts milliseconds to a string containing hours and minutes or minutes and seconds*/
+    public static String getDurationStringShort(int duration, boolean durationIsInHours) {
+        int firstPartBase = durationIsInHours ?  HOURS_MIL : MINUTES_MIL;
+        int firstPart = duration / firstPartBase;
+        int leftoverFromFirstPart = duration - firstPart * firstPartBase;
+        int secondPart = leftoverFromFirstPart / (durationIsInHours ? MINUTES_MIL : SECONDS_MIL);
+
+    	return String.format(Locale.getDefault(), "%02d:%02d", firstPart, secondPart);
     }
 
     /** Converts long duration string (HH:MM:SS) to milliseconds. */
@@ -95,14 +95,20 @@ public final class Converter {
                 Integer.parseInt(parts[2]) * 1000;
     }
 
-    /** Converts short duration string (HH:MM) to milliseconds. */
-    public static int durationStringShortToMs(String input) {
+    /**
+     * Converts short duration string (XX:YY) to milliseconds. If durationIsInHours is true then the
+     * format is HH:MM, otherwise it's MM:SS.
+     * */
+    public static int durationStringShortToMs(String input, boolean durationIsInHours) {
         String[] parts = input.split(":");
         if (parts.length != 2) {
             return 0;
         }
-        return Integer.parseInt(parts[0]) * 3600 * 1000 +
-                Integer.parseInt(parts[1]) * 1000 * 60;
+
+        int modifier = durationIsInHours ? 60 : 1;
+
+        return Integer.parseInt(parts[0]) * 60 * 1000 * modifier+
+                Integer.parseInt(parts[1]) * 1000 * modifier;
     }
 
     /** Converts milliseconds to a localized string containing hours and minutes */
@@ -131,6 +137,7 @@ public final class Converter {
         return String.format(Locale.getDefault(), "%.1f ", hours) + context.getString(R.string.time_hours);
     }
 
+
     /**
      * Converts the volume as read as the progress from a SeekBar scaled to 100 and as saved in
      * UserPreferences to the format taken by setVolume methods.
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/DateUtils.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/DateUtils.java
index 5056ea274..5141e3a78 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/DateUtils.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/DateUtils.java
@@ -17,7 +17,9 @@ import java.util.TimeZone;
  */
 public class DateUtils {
 
-    private static final String TAG = "DateUtils";
+    private DateUtils(){}
+
+	private static final String TAG = "DateUtils";
 
     private static final TimeZone defaultTimezone = TimeZone.getTimeZone("GMT");
 
@@ -85,7 +87,8 @@ public class DateUtils {
                 "yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss'Z'",
                 "yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss.SSSZ",
                 "yyyy-MM-ddZ",
-                "yyyy-MM-dd"
+                "yyyy-MM-dd",
+                "EEE d MMM yyyy HH:mm:ss 'GMT'Z (z)"
         };
 
         SimpleDateFormat parser = new SimpleDateFormat("", Locale.US);
@@ -134,7 +137,7 @@ public class DateUtils {
         if (parts.length >= 2) {
             result += Integer.parseInt(parts[idx]) * 60000L;
             idx++;
-            result += (Float.parseFloat(parts[idx])) * 1000L;
+            result += (long) (Float.parseFloat(parts[idx]) * 1000L);
         }
         return result;
     }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/EpisodeFilter.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/EpisodeFilter.java
deleted file mode 100644
index fb1b0dc8f..000000000
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/EpisodeFilter.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,50 +0,0 @@
-package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util;
-
-import java.util.ArrayList;
-import java.util.List;
-
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedItem;
-
-class EpisodeFilter {
-
-	private EpisodeFilter() {
-
-	}
-
-	/** Return a copy of the itemlist without items which have no media. */
-	public static ArrayList<FeedItem> getEpisodeList(List<FeedItem> items) {
-		ArrayList<FeedItem> episodes = new ArrayList<>(items);
-		for (FeedItem item : items) {
-			if (item.getMedia() == null) {
-				episodes.remove(item);
-			}
-		}
-		return episodes;
-	}
-
-	public static int countItemsWithEpisodes(List<FeedItem> items) {
-		int count = 0;
-		for (FeedItem item : items) {
-			if (item.getMedia() != null) {
-				count++;
-			}
-		}
-		return count;
-	}
-
-	public static FeedItem accessEpisodeByIndex(List<FeedItem> items,
-			int position) {
-		int count = 0;
-		for (FeedItem item : items) {
-
-			if (item.getMedia() != null) {
-				if (count == position) {
-					return item;
-				} else {
-					count++;
-				}
-			}
-		}
-		return null;
-	}
-}
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/FeedItemUtil.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/FeedItemUtil.java
index 76a6549ae..826c06822 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/FeedItemUtil.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/FeedItemUtil.java
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import java.util.List;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedItem;
 
 public class FeedItemUtil {
+    private FeedItemUtil(){}
 
     public static int indexOfItemWithDownloadUrl(List<FeedItem> items, String downloadUrl) {
         if(items == null) {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/FeedUpdateUtils.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/FeedUpdateUtils.java
index 24e0da9ed..afaf13390 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/FeedUpdateUtils.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/FeedUpdateUtils.java
@@ -2,20 +2,30 @@ package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util;
 
 import android.content.Context;
 import android.util.Log;
+
+import org.awaitility.core.ConditionTimeoutException;
+
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.DBTasks;
 
+import static org.awaitility.Awaitility.with;
+
 public class FeedUpdateUtils {
     private static final String TAG = "FeedUpdateUtils";
 
-    private FeedUpdateUtils() {
-
-    }
+    private FeedUpdateUtils() {}
 
     public static void startAutoUpdate(Context context, Runnable callback) {
-        if (NetworkUtils.networkAvailable() && NetworkUtils.isDownloadAllowed()) {
+        try {
+            with().pollInterval(1, TimeUnit.SECONDS)
+                    .await()
+                    .atMost(10, TimeUnit.SECONDS)
+                    .until(() -> NetworkUtils.networkAvailable() && NetworkUtils.isDownloadAllowed());
             DBTasks.refreshAllFeeds(context, null, callback);
-        } else {
+        } catch (ConditionTimeoutException ignore) {
             Log.d(TAG, "Blocking automatic update: no wifi available / no mobile updates allowed");
         }
     }
+
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/Function.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/Function.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c4f4ad68a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/Function.java
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util;
+
+import io.reactivex.annotations.NonNull;
+
+public interface Function<T, R> {
+    R apply(@NonNull T t);
+}
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/IntentUtils.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/IntentUtils.java
index 1571b71c2..e81ab47ed 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/IntentUtils.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/IntentUtils.java
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import android.content.pm.ResolveInfo;
 import java.util.List;
 
 public class IntentUtils {
+    private IntentUtils(){}
 
     /*
      *  Checks if there is at least one exported activity that can be performed for the intent
@@ -23,4 +24,8 @@ public class IntentUtils {
         return false;
     }
 
+    public static void sendLocalBroadcast(Context context, String action) {
+        context.sendBroadcast(new Intent(action).setPackage(context.getPackageName()));
+    }
+
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/LangUtils.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/LangUtils.java
index 7ec7f84c4..90e0b0981 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/LangUtils.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/LangUtils.java
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@ import android.support.v4.util.ArrayMap;
 import java.nio.charset.Charset;
 
 public class LangUtils {
+
+	private LangUtils(){}
+
 	public static final Charset UTF_8 = Charset.forName("UTF-8");
 
 	private static final ArrayMap<String, String> languages;
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/NetworkUtils.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/NetworkUtils.java
index cbda583fa..9bdd375ce 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/NetworkUtils.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/NetworkUtils.java
@@ -18,15 +18,16 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.FeedMedia;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.preferences.UserPreferences;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.download.AntennapodHttpClient;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.DBWriter;
+import io.reactivex.Single;
+import io.reactivex.SingleOnSubscribe;
+import io.reactivex.android.schedulers.AndroidSchedulers;
+import io.reactivex.schedulers.Schedulers;
 import okhttp3.OkHttpClient;
 import okhttp3.Request;
 import okhttp3.Response;
-import rx.Observable;
-import rx.Subscriber;
-import rx.android.schedulers.AndroidSchedulers;
-import rx.schedulers.Schedulers;
 
 public class NetworkUtils {
+    private NetworkUtils(){}
 
 	private static final String TAG = NetworkUtils.class.getSimpleName();
 
@@ -89,9 +90,13 @@ public class NetworkUtils {
         return info != null && info.isConnected();
     }
 
-	public static boolean isDownloadAllowed() {
-		return UserPreferences.isAllowMobileUpdate() || !NetworkUtils.isNetworkMetered();
-	}
+    public static boolean isDownloadAllowed() {
+        return UserPreferences.isAllowMobileUpdate() || !NetworkUtils.isNetworkMetered();
+    }
+
+    public static boolean isImageAllowed() {
+        return UserPreferences.isAllowMobileImages() || !NetworkUtils.isNetworkMetered();
+    }
 
 	private static boolean isNetworkMetered() {
 		ConnectivityManager connManager = (ConnectivityManager) context
@@ -111,11 +116,10 @@ public class NetworkUtils {
         return null;
     }
 
-	public static Observable<Long> getFeedMediaSizeObservable(FeedMedia media) {
-        return Observable.create((Observable.OnSubscribe<Long>) subscriber -> {
+	public static Single<Long> getFeedMediaSizeObservable(FeedMedia media) {
+        return Single.create((SingleOnSubscribe<Long>) emitter -> {
             if (!NetworkUtils.isDownloadAllowed()) {
-                subscriber.onNext(0L);
-                subscriber.onCompleted();
+                emitter.onSuccess(0L);
                 return;
             }
             long size = Integer.MIN_VALUE;
@@ -129,8 +133,7 @@ public class NetworkUtils {
 
                 String url = media.getDownload_url();
                 if(TextUtils.isEmpty(url)) {
-                    subscriber.onNext(0L);
-                    subscriber.onCompleted();
+                    emitter.onSuccess(0L);
                     return;
                 }
 
@@ -150,8 +153,7 @@ public class NetworkUtils {
                         }
                     }
                 } catch (IOException e) {
-                    subscriber.onNext(0L);
-                    subscriber.onCompleted();
+                    emitter.onSuccess(0L);
                     Log.e(TAG, Log.getStackTraceString(e));
                     return; // better luck next time
                 }
@@ -163,11 +165,10 @@ public class NetworkUtils {
             } else {
                 media.setSize(size);
             }
-            subscriber.onNext(size);
-            subscriber.onCompleted();
+            emitter.onSuccess(size);
             DBWriter.setFeedMedia(media);
         })
-                .subscribeOn(Schedulers.newThread())
+                .subscribeOn(Schedulers.io())
 				.observeOn(AndroidSchedulers.mainThread());
     }
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/Optional.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/Optional.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0fe11ec53
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/Optional.java
@@ -0,0 +1,213 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2012, 2013, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
+ * DO NOT ALTER OR REMOVE COPYRIGHT NOTICES OR THIS FILE HEADER.
+ *
+ * This code is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
+ * under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 only, as
+ * published by the Free Software Foundation.  Oracle designates this
+ * particular file as subject to the "Classpath" exception as provided
+ * by Oracle in the LICENSE file that accompanied this code.
+ *
+ * This code is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
+ * ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or
+ * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU General Public License
+ * version 2 for more details (a copy is included in the LICENSE file that
+ * accompanied this code).
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License version
+ * 2 along with this work; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation,
+ * Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA.
+ *
+ * Please contact Oracle, 500 Oracle Parkway, Redwood Shores, CA 94065 USA
+ * or visit www.oracle.com if you need additional information or have any
+ * questions.
+ */
+package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util;
+
+import java.util.NoSuchElementException;
+import java.util.Objects;
+
+// AntennaPod's stripped-down version of Java/Android platform's java.util.Optional
+// so that it can be used on lower API level (API level 14)
+
+// Android-changed: removed ValueBased paragraph.
+/**
+ * A container object which may or may not contain a non-null value.
+ * If a value is present, {@code isPresent()} will return {@code true} and
+ * {@code get()} will return the value.
+ *
+ * <p>Additional methods that depend on the presence or absence of a contained
+ * value are provided, such as {@link #orElse(java.lang.Object) orElse()}
+ * (return a default value if value not present) and
+ * {@link #ifPresent(java.util.function.Consumer) ifPresent()} (execute a block
+ * of code if the value is present).
+ *
+ * @since 1.8
+ */
+public final class Optional<T> {
+    /**
+     * Common instance for {@code empty()}.
+     */
+    private static final Optional<?> EMPTY = new Optional<>();
+
+    /**
+     * If non-null, the value; if null, indicates no value is present
+     */
+    private final T value;
+
+    /**
+     * Constructs an empty instance.
+     *
+     * @implNote Generally only one empty instance, {@link Optional#EMPTY},
+     * should exist per VM.
+     */
+    private Optional() {
+        this.value = null;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns an empty {@code Optional} instance.  No value is present for this
+     * Optional.
+     *
+     * @apiNote Though it may be tempting to do so, avoid testing if an object
+     * is empty by comparing with {@code ==} against instances returned by
+     * {@code Option.empty()}. There is no guarantee that it is a singleton.
+     * Instead, use {@link #isPresent()}.
+     *
+     * @param <T> Type of the non-existent value
+     * @return an empty {@code Optional}
+     */
+    public static<T> Optional<T> empty() {
+        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+        Optional<T> t = (Optional<T>) EMPTY;
+        return t;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Constructs an instance with the value present.
+     *
+     * @param value the non-null value to be present
+     * @throws NullPointerException if value is null
+     */
+    private Optional(T value) {
+        this.value = Objects.requireNonNull(value);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns an {@code Optional} with the specified present non-null value.
+     *
+     * @param <T> the class of the value
+     * @param value the value to be present, which must be non-null
+     * @return an {@code Optional} with the value present
+     * @throws NullPointerException if value is null
+     */
+    public static <T> Optional<T> of(T value) {
+        return new Optional<>(value);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns an {@code Optional} describing the specified value, if non-null,
+     * otherwise returns an empty {@code Optional}.
+     *
+     * @param <T> the class of the value
+     * @param value the possibly-null value to describe
+     * @return an {@code Optional} with a present value if the specified value
+     * is non-null, otherwise an empty {@code Optional}
+     */
+    public static <T> Optional<T> ofNullable(T value) {
+        return value == null ? empty() : of(value);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * If a value is present in this {@code Optional}, returns the value,
+     * otherwise throws {@code NoSuchElementException}.
+     *
+     * @return the non-null value held by this {@code Optional}
+     * @throws NoSuchElementException if there is no value present
+     *
+     * @see Optional#isPresent()
+     */
+    public T get() {
+        if (value == null) {
+            throw new NoSuchElementException("No value present");
+        }
+        return value;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Return {@code true} if there is a value present, otherwise {@code false}.
+     *
+     * @return {@code true} if there is a value present, otherwise {@code false}
+     */
+    public boolean isPresent() {
+        return value != null;
+    }
+
+
+    /**
+     * Return the value if present, otherwise return {@code other}.
+     *
+     * @param other the value to be returned if there is no value present, may
+     * be null
+     * @return the value, if present, otherwise {@code other}
+     */
+    public T orElse(T other) {
+        return value != null ? value : other;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Indicates whether some other object is "equal to" this Optional. The
+     * other object is considered equal if:
+     * <ul>
+     * <li>it is also an {@code Optional} and;
+     * <li>both instances have no value present or;
+     * <li>the present values are "equal to" each other via {@code equals()}.
+     * </ul>
+     *
+     * @param obj an object to be tested for equality
+     * @return {code true} if the other object is "equal to" this object
+     * otherwise {@code false}
+     */
+    @Override
+    public boolean equals(Object obj) {
+        if (this == obj) {
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        if (!(obj instanceof Optional)) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        Optional<?> other = (Optional<?>) obj;
+        return (value == other.value) || (value != null && value.equals(other.value));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the hash code value of the present value, if any, or 0 (zero) if
+     * no value is present.
+     *
+     * @return hash code value of the present value or 0 if no value is present
+     */
+    @Override
+    public int hashCode() {
+        return value != null ? value.hashCode() : 0;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns a non-empty string representation of this Optional suitable for
+     * debugging. The exact presentation format is unspecified and may vary
+     * between implementations and versions.
+     *
+     * @implSpec If a value is present the result must include its string
+     * representation in the result. Empty and present Optionals must be
+     * unambiguously differentiable.
+     *
+     * @return the string representation of this instance
+     */
+    @Override
+    public String toString() {
+        return value != null
+                ? String.format("Optional[%s]", value)
+                : "Optional.empty";
+    }
+}
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/QueueAccess.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/QueueAccess.java
index 7377b202d..9408be348 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/QueueAccess.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/QueueAccess.java
@@ -58,19 +58,4 @@ public abstract class QueueAccess {
         };
     }
 
-    public static QueueAccess NotInQueueAccess() {
-        return new QueueAccess() {
-            @Override
-            public boolean contains(long id) {
-                return false;
-            }
-
-            @Override
-            public boolean remove(long id) {
-                return false;
-            }
-        };
-
-    }
-
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/RewindAfterPauseUtils.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/RewindAfterPauseUtils.java
index ee306a401..d1818aeef 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/RewindAfterPauseUtils.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/RewindAfterPauseUtils.java
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
  * Media file should be "rewinded" x seconds after user resumes the playback.
  */
 public class RewindAfterPauseUtils {
+    private RewindAfterPauseUtils(){}
 
     public static final long ELAPSED_TIME_FOR_SHORT_REWIND = TimeUnit.MINUTES.toMillis(1);
     public static final long ELAPSED_TIME_FOR_MEDIUM_REWIND = TimeUnit.HOURS.toMillis(1);
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/StorageUtils.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/StorageUtils.java
index 1ef81bf64..3a6bf5755 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/StorageUtils.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/StorageUtils.java
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.preferences.UserPreferences;
  * Utility functions for handling storage errors
  */
 public class StorageUtils {
+    private StorageUtils(){}
+
     private static final String TAG = "StorageUtils";
 
     public static boolean storageAvailable() {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/ThemeUtils.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/ThemeUtils.java
index f67367643..14f091249 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/ThemeUtils.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/ThemeUtils.java
@@ -1,17 +1,25 @@
 package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util;
 
+import android.content.Context;
+import android.support.annotation.AttrRes;
+import android.support.annotation.ColorInt;
 import android.util.Log;
+import android.util.TypedValue;
 
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.R;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.preferences.UserPreferences;
 
 public class ThemeUtils {
+    private ThemeUtils(){}
+
     private static final String TAG = "ThemeUtils";
 
     public static int getSelectionBackgroundColor() {
         int theme = UserPreferences.getTheme();
         if (theme == R.style.Theme_AntennaPod_Dark) {
             return R.color.selection_background_color_dark;
+        } else if (theme == R.style.Theme_AntennaPod_TrueBlack){
+            return R.color.selection_background_color_trueblack;
         } else if (theme == R.style.Theme_AntennaPod_Light) {
             return R.color.selection_background_color_light;
         } else {
@@ -20,4 +28,10 @@ public class ThemeUtils {
             return R.color.selection_background_color_light;
         }
     }
+
+    public static @ColorInt int getColorFromAttr(Context context, @AttrRes int attr) {
+        TypedValue typedValue = new TypedValue();
+        context.getTheme().resolveAttribute(attr, typedValue, true);
+        return typedValue.data;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/URLChecker.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/URLChecker.java
index 40faa1dd2..ffc6a6e28 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/URLChecker.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/URLChecker.java
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util;
 
 import android.net.Uri;
+import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
 import android.util.Log;
 
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.BuildConfig;
@@ -29,7 +30,7 @@ public final class URLChecker {
      * @param url The url which is going to be prepared
      * @return The prepared url
      */
-    public static String prepareURL(String url) {
+    public static String prepareURL(@NonNull String url) {
         url = url.trim();
         if (url.startsWith("feed://")) {
             if (BuildConfig.DEBUG) Log.d(TAG, "Replacing feed:// with http://");
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/download/AutoUpdateManager.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/download/AutoUpdateManager.java
index ad723c685..1629f4aaf 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/download/AutoUpdateManager.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/download/AutoUpdateManager.java
@@ -11,12 +11,17 @@ import android.os.Build;
 import android.os.SystemClock;
 import android.support.annotation.RequiresApi;
 import android.util.Log;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.receiver.FeedUpdateReceiver;
-import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.FeedUpdateJobService;
 
 import java.util.Calendar;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.preferences.UserPreferences;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.receiver.FeedUpdateReceiver;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.FeedUpdateJobService;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.DBTasks;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.Converter;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.FeedUpdateUtils;
+
 public class AutoUpdateManager {
     private static final int JOB_ID_FEED_UPDATE = 42;
     private static final String TAG = "AutoUpdateManager";
@@ -152,4 +157,29 @@ public class AutoUpdateManager {
                 updateIntent);
         Log.d(TAG, "Changed alarm to new time of day " + alarm.get(Calendar.HOUR_OF_DAY) + ":" + alarm.get(Calendar.MINUTE));
     }
+
+    /*
+     *  Checks if the app should refresh all feeds, i.e. if the last auto refresh failed.
+     *
+     *  The feeds are only refreshed if an update interval or time of day is set and the last
+     *  (successful) refresh was before the last interval or more than a day ago, respectively.
+     *
+     */
+    public static void checkShouldRefreshFeeds(Context context) {
+        long interval = 0;
+        if(UserPreferences.getUpdateInterval() > 0) {
+            interval = UserPreferences.getUpdateInterval();
+        } else if(UserPreferences.getUpdateTimeOfDay().length > 0){
+            interval = TimeUnit.DAYS.toMillis(1);
+        }
+        if(interval == 0) { // auto refresh is disabled
+            return;
+        }
+        long lastRefresh = DBTasks.getLastRefreshAllFeedsTimeMillis(context);
+        Log.d(TAG, "last refresh: " + Converter.getDurationStringLocalized(context,
+                System.currentTimeMillis() - lastRefresh) + " ago");
+        if(lastRefresh <= System.currentTimeMillis() - interval) {
+            FeedUpdateUtils.startAutoUpdate(context, null);
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/exception/MediaFileNotFoundException.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/exception/MediaFileNotFoundException.java
index ecb641dad..3000e2fa4 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/exception/MediaFileNotFoundException.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/exception/MediaFileNotFoundException.java
@@ -12,11 +12,6 @@ public class MediaFileNotFoundException extends Exception {
 		this.media = media;
 	}
 
-	public MediaFileNotFoundException(FeedMedia media) {
-		super();
-		this.media = media;
-	}
-
 	public FeedMedia getMedia() {
 		return media;
 	}
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/flattr/FlattrServiceCreator.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/flattr/FlattrServiceCreator.java
index 45cb56988..d4d5843d2 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/flattr/FlattrServiceCreator.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/flattr/FlattrServiceCreator.java
@@ -11,7 +11,9 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.BuildConfig;
 /** Ensures that only one instance of the FlattrService class exists at a time */
 
 class FlattrServiceCreator {
-	private static final String TAG = "FlattrServiceCreator";
+	private FlattrServiceCreator(){}
+
+	public static final String TAG = "FlattrServiceCreator";
 	
 	private static volatile FlattrService flattrService;
 	
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/flattr/FlattrUtils.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/flattr/FlattrUtils.java
index 313d1c2f2..919fc82f2 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/flattr/FlattrUtils.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/flattr/FlattrUtils.java
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.flattr;
 
 import android.content.Context;
-import android.content.DialogInterface;
-import android.content.DialogInterface.OnClickListener;
 import android.content.Intent;
 import android.content.SharedPreferences;
 import android.net.Uri;
@@ -36,6 +34,8 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.DBWriter;
  */
 
 public class FlattrUtils {
+    private FlattrUtils(){}
+
     private static final String TAG = "FlattrUtils";
 
     private static final String HOST_NAME = "de.danoeh.antennapod";
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/gui/MoreContentListFooterUtil.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/gui/MoreContentListFooterUtil.java
index 386f46724..6e5c3e84b 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/gui/MoreContentListFooterUtil.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/gui/MoreContentListFooterUtil.java
@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@ public class MoreContentListFooterUtil {
     }
 
     public void setLoadingState(boolean newState) {
-        final ImageView imageView = (ImageView) root.findViewById(R.id.imgExpand);
-        final ProgressBar progressBar = (ProgressBar) root.findViewById(R.id.progBar);
+        final ImageView imageView = root.findViewById(R.id.imgExpand);
+        final ProgressBar progressBar = root.findViewById(R.id.progBar);
         if (newState) {
             imageView.setVisibility(View.GONE);
             progressBar.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/gui/NotificationUtils.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/gui/NotificationUtils.java
index 1c42364ea..52a43aab2 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/gui/NotificationUtils.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/gui/NotificationUtils.java
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import android.app.NotificationManager;
 import android.content.Context;
 import android.os.Build;
 import android.support.annotation.RequiresApi;
+
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.R;
 
 public class NotificationUtils {
@@ -41,6 +42,7 @@ public class NotificationUtils {
         NotificationChannel mChannel = new NotificationChannel(CHANNEL_ID_DOWNLOADING,
                 c.getString(R.string.notification_channel_downloading), NotificationManager.IMPORTANCE_LOW);
         mChannel.setDescription(c.getString(R.string.notification_channel_downloading_description));
+        mChannel.setShowBadge(false);
         return mChannel;
     }
 
@@ -49,6 +51,7 @@ public class NotificationUtils {
         NotificationChannel mChannel = new NotificationChannel(CHANNEL_ID_PLAYING,
                 c.getString(R.string.notification_channel_playing), NotificationManager.IMPORTANCE_LOW);
         mChannel.setDescription(c.getString(R.string.notification_channel_playing_description));
+        mChannel.setShowBadge(false);
         return mChannel;
     }
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/AudioPlayer.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/AudioPlayer.java
index 846733882..2b3f38841 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/AudioPlayer.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/AudioPlayer.java
@@ -21,18 +21,12 @@ public class AudioPlayer extends MediaPlayer implements IPlayer {
 
 	private final SharedPreferences.OnSharedPreferenceChangeListener sonicListener =
 			(sharedPreferences, key) -> {
-				if (key.equals(UserPreferences.PREF_SONIC)) {
+				if (key.equals(UserPreferences.PREF_MEDIA_PLAYER)) {
 					checkMpi();
 				}
 			};
 
 	@Override
-	public void setScreenOnWhilePlaying(boolean screenOn) {
-		Log.e(TAG, "Setting screen on while playing not supported in Audio Player");
-		throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Setting screen on while playing not supported in Audio Player");
-	}
-
-	@Override
 	public void setDisplay(SurfaceHolder sh) {
 		if (sh != null) {
 			Log.e(TAG, "Setting display not supported in Audio Player");
@@ -40,10 +34,13 @@ public class AudioPlayer extends MediaPlayer implements IPlayer {
 		}
 	}
 
-    @Override
-    public void setVideoScalingMode(int mode) {
-        throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Setting scaling mode is not supported in Audio Player");
-    }
+	@Override
+	public void setPlaybackParams(float speed, boolean skipSilence) {
+		if(canSetSpeed()) {
+			setPlaybackSpeed(speed);
+		}
+		//Default player does not support silence skipping
+	}
 
 	@Override
 	protected boolean useSonic() {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/IPlayer.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/IPlayer.java
index aba395ec1..c2b768ea8 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/IPlayer.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/IPlayer.java
@@ -6,13 +6,11 @@ import android.view.SurfaceHolder;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
 public interface IPlayer {
-	boolean canSetPitch();
 
 	boolean canSetSpeed();
 
 	boolean canDownmix();
 
-	float getCurrentPitchStepsAdjustment();
 
 	int getCurrentPosition();
 
@@ -20,20 +18,12 @@ public interface IPlayer {
 
 	int getDuration();
 
-	float getMaxSpeedMultiplier();
-
-	float getMinSpeedMultiplier();
-
-	boolean isLooping();
-
 	boolean isPlaying();
 
 	void pause();
 
 	void prepare() throws IllegalStateException, IOException;
 
-	void prepareAsync();
-
 	void release();
 
 	void reset();
@@ -42,22 +32,12 @@ public interface IPlayer {
 
 	void setAudioStreamType(int streamtype);
 
-	void setScreenOnWhilePlaying(boolean screenOn);
-
 	void setDataSource(String path) throws IllegalStateException, IOException,
             IllegalArgumentException, SecurityException;
 
 	void setDisplay(SurfaceHolder sh);
 
-	void setEnableSpeedAdjustment(boolean enableSpeedAdjustment);
-
-	void setLooping(boolean looping);
-
-	void setPitchStepsAdjustment(float pitchSteps);
-
-	void setPlaybackPitch(float f);
-
-	void setPlaybackSpeed(float f);
+	void setPlaybackParams(float speed, boolean skipSilence);
 
 	void setDownmix(boolean enable);
 
@@ -67,7 +47,5 @@ public interface IPlayer {
 
 	void stop();
 
-    void setVideoScalingMode(int mode);
-
     void setWakeMode(Context context, int mode);
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/MediaPlayerError.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/MediaPlayerError.java
index a576dd497..b04c02075 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/MediaPlayerError.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/MediaPlayerError.java
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.R;
 
 /** Utility class for MediaPlayer errors. */
 public class MediaPlayerError {
+	private MediaPlayerError(){}
 
 	/** Get a human-readable string for a specific error code. */
 	public static String getErrorString(Context context, int code) {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/Playable.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/Playable.java
index ff7f5b79d..da9b96430 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/Playable.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/Playable.java
@@ -176,6 +176,8 @@ public interface Playable extends Parcelable,
      * Provides utility methods for Playable objects.
      */
     class PlayableUtils {
+        private PlayableUtils(){}
+
         private static final String TAG = "PlayableUtils";
 
         /**
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/PlaybackController.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/PlaybackController.java
index a3f02d5cc..6498b9ff1 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/PlaybackController.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/PlaybackController.java
@@ -7,15 +7,11 @@ import android.content.Context;
 import android.content.Intent;
 import android.content.IntentFilter;
 import android.content.ServiceConnection;
-import android.content.SharedPreferences;
 import android.content.res.TypedArray;
 import android.media.MediaPlayer;
 import android.os.Build;
 import android.os.IBinder;
-import android.preference.PreferenceManager;
 import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
-import android.support.annotation.Nullable;
-import android.support.v4.content.ContextCompat;
 import android.text.TextUtils;
 import android.util.Log;
 import android.util.Pair;
@@ -24,10 +20,8 @@ import android.widget.ImageButton;
 import android.widget.SeekBar;
 import android.widget.TextView;
 
-import java.util.concurrent.RejectedExecutionHandler;
 import java.util.concurrent.ScheduledFuture;
 import java.util.concurrent.ScheduledThreadPoolExecutor;
-import java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.R;
@@ -41,11 +35,14 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.playback.PlaybackServiceMediaPlayer;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.playback.PlayerStatus;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.storage.DBTasks;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.Converter;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.Optional;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.playback.Playable.PlayableUtils;
-import rx.Observable;
-import rx.Subscription;
-import rx.android.schedulers.AndroidSchedulers;
-import rx.schedulers.Schedulers;
+import io.reactivex.Maybe;
+import io.reactivex.MaybeOnSubscribe;
+import io.reactivex.Observable;
+import io.reactivex.android.schedulers.AndroidSchedulers;
+import io.reactivex.disposables.Disposable;
+import io.reactivex.schedulers.Schedulers;
 
 /**
  * Communicates with the playback service. GUI classes should use this class to
@@ -73,7 +70,8 @@ public abstract class PlaybackController {
     private boolean released = false;
     private boolean initialized = false;
 
-    private Subscription serviceBinder;
+    private Disposable serviceBinder;
+    private Disposable mediaLoader;
 
     /**
      * True if controller should reinit playback service if 'pause' button is
@@ -106,6 +104,7 @@ public abstract class PlaybackController {
     }
 
     private synchronized void initServiceRunning() {
+        Log.v(TAG, "initServiceRunning()");
         if (initialized) {
             return;
         }
@@ -148,7 +147,7 @@ public abstract class PlaybackController {
         }
 
         if(serviceBinder != null) {
-            serviceBinder.unsubscribe();
+            serviceBinder.dispose();
         }
         try {
             activity.unbindService(mConnection);
@@ -183,27 +182,20 @@ public abstract class PlaybackController {
     private void bindToService() {
         Log.d(TAG, "Trying to connect to service");
         if (serviceBinder != null) {
-            serviceBinder.unsubscribe();
+            serviceBinder.dispose();
         }
         serviceBinder = Observable.fromCallable(this::getPlayLastPlayedMediaIntent)
-                .subscribeOn(Schedulers.newThread())
+                .subscribeOn(Schedulers.io())
                 .observeOn(AndroidSchedulers.mainThread())
-                .subscribe(intent -> {
+                .subscribe(optionalIntent -> {
                     boolean bound = false;
-                    if (!PlaybackService.started) {
-                        if (intent != null) {
-                            Log.d(TAG, "Calling start service");
-                            ContextCompat.startForegroundService(activity, intent);
-                            bound = activity.bindService(intent, mConnection, 0);
-                        } else {
-                            status = PlayerStatus.STOPPED;
-                            setupGUI();
-                            handleStatus();
-                        }
+                    if (optionalIntent.isPresent()) {
+                        Log.d(TAG, "Calling bind service");
+                        bound = activity.bindService(optionalIntent.get(), mConnection, 0);
                     } else {
-                        Log.d(TAG, "PlaybackService is running, trying to connect without start command.");
-                        bound = activity.bindService(new Intent(activity, PlaybackService.class),
-                                mConnection, 0);
+                        status = PlayerStatus.STOPPED;
+                        setupGUI();
+                        handleStatus();
                     }
                     Log.d(TAG, "Result for service binding: " + bound);
                 }, error -> Log.e(TAG, Log.getStackTraceString(error)));
@@ -213,24 +205,26 @@ public abstract class PlaybackController {
      * Returns an intent that starts the PlaybackService and plays the last
      * played media or null if no last played media could be found.
      */
-    @Nullable private Intent getPlayLastPlayedMediaIntent() {
+    @NonNull
+    private Optional<Intent> getPlayLastPlayedMediaIntent() {
         Log.d(TAG, "Trying to restore last played media");
         Playable media = PlayableUtils.createInstanceFromPreferences(activity);
         if (media == null) {
             Log.d(TAG, "No last played media found");
-            return null;
+            return Optional.empty();
         }
 
+
         boolean fileExists = media.localFileAvailable();
         boolean lastIsStream = PlaybackPreferences.getCurrentEpisodeIsStream();
         if (!fileExists && !lastIsStream && media instanceof FeedMedia) {
             DBTasks.notifyMissingFeedMediaFile(activity, (FeedMedia) media);
         }
 
-        return new PlaybackServiceStarter(activity, media)
+        return Optional.of(new PlaybackServiceStarter(activity, media)
                 .startWhenPrepared(false)
                 .shouldStream(lastIsStream || !fileExists)
-                .getIntent();
+                .getIntent());
     }
 
 
@@ -413,8 +407,8 @@ public abstract class PlaybackController {
             pauseResource = res.getResourceId(1, R.drawable.ic_pause_grey600_36dp);
             res.recycle();
         } else {
-            playResource = R.drawable.ic_av_play_circle_outline_80dp;
-            pauseResource = R.drawable.ic_av_pause_circle_outline_80dp;
+            playResource = R.drawable.ic_av_play_white_80dp;
+            pauseResource = R.drawable.ic_av_pause_white_80dp;
         }
 
         Log.d(TAG, "status: " + status.toString());
@@ -588,7 +582,8 @@ public abstract class PlaybackController {
                     .startWhenPrepared(true)
                     .streamIfLastWasStream()
                     .start();
-            Log.w(TAG, "Play/Pause button was pressed, but playbackservice was null!");
+            Log.d(TAG, "Play/Pause button was pressed, but playbackservice was null - " +
+                    "it is likely to have been released by Android system. Restarting it.");
             return;
         }
         switch (status) {
@@ -699,7 +694,7 @@ public abstract class PlaybackController {
         return org.antennapod.audio.MediaPlayer.isPrestoLibraryInstalled(activity.getApplicationContext())
                 || UserPreferences.useSonic()
                 || Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= 23
-                || playbackService != null && playbackService.canSetSpeed();
+                || (playbackService != null && playbackService.canSetSpeed());
     }
 
     public void setPlaybackSpeed(float speed) {
@@ -707,6 +702,11 @@ public abstract class PlaybackController {
             playbackService.setSpeed(speed);
         }
     }
+    public void setSkipSilence(boolean skipSilence) {
+        if (playbackService != null) {
+            playbackService.skipSilence(skipSilence);
+        }
+    }
 
     public void setVolume(float leftVolume, float rightVolume) {
         if (playbackService != null) {
@@ -760,6 +760,7 @@ public abstract class PlaybackController {
     }
 
     public void notifyVideoSurfaceAbandoned() {
+        Log.v(TAG, "notifyVideoSurfaceAbandoned() - hasPlaybackService=" + (playbackService != null));
         if (playbackService != null) {
             playbackService.notifyVideoSurfaceAbandoned();
         }
@@ -780,18 +781,28 @@ public abstract class PlaybackController {
     }
 
     private void initServiceNotRunning() {
-        if (getMedia() == null) {
-            return;
-        }
-        if (getMedia().getMediaType() == MediaType.AUDIO) {
-            TypedArray res = activity.obtainStyledAttributes(new int[]{
-                    de.danoeh.antennapod.core.R.attr.av_play_big});
-            getPlayButton().setImageResource(
-                    res.getResourceId(0, de.danoeh.antennapod.core.R.drawable.ic_play_arrow_grey600_36dp));
-            res.recycle();
-        } else {
-            getPlayButton().setImageResource(R.drawable.ic_av_play_circle_outline_80dp);
-        }
+        Log.v(TAG, "initServiceNotRunning()");
+        mediaLoader = Maybe.create((MaybeOnSubscribe<Playable>) emitter -> {
+            Playable media = getMedia();
+            if (media != null) {
+                emitter.onSuccess(media);
+            } else {
+                emitter.onComplete();
+            }
+        })
+            .subscribeOn(Schedulers.io())
+            .observeOn(AndroidSchedulers.mainThread())
+            .subscribe(media -> {
+                if (media.getMediaType() == MediaType.AUDIO) {
+                    TypedArray res = activity.obtainStyledAttributes(new int[]{
+                            de.danoeh.antennapod.core.R.attr.av_play_big});
+                    getPlayButton().setImageResource(
+                            res.getResourceId(0, de.danoeh.antennapod.core.R.drawable.ic_play_arrow_grey600_36dp));
+                    res.recycle();
+                } else {
+                    getPlayButton().setImageResource(R.drawable.ic_av_play_white_80dp);
+                }
+            }, error -> Log.e(TAG, Log.getStackTraceString(error)));
     }
 
     /**
@@ -799,7 +810,7 @@ public abstract class PlaybackController {
      */
     public class MediaPositionObserver implements Runnable {
 
-        public static final int WAITING_INTERVALL = 1000;
+        static final int WAITING_INTERVALL = 1000;
 
         @Override
         public void run() {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/PlaybackServiceStarter.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/PlaybackServiceStarter.java
index 3ba553d12..64cf61457 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/PlaybackServiceStarter.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/PlaybackServiceStarter.java
@@ -2,12 +2,15 @@ package de.danoeh.antennapod.core.util.playback;
 
 import android.content.Context;
 import android.content.Intent;
-import android.media.MediaPlayer;
 import android.support.v4.content.ContextCompat;
+import android.util.Log;
+
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.preferences.PlaybackPreferences;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.service.playback.PlaybackService;
 
 public class PlaybackServiceStarter {
+    private static final String TAG = "PlaybackServiceStarter";
+
     private final Context context;
     private final Playable media;
     private boolean startWhenPrepared = false;
@@ -64,6 +67,10 @@ public class PlaybackServiceStarter {
         launchIntent.putExtra(PlaybackService.EXTRA_SHOULD_STREAM, shouldStream);
         launchIntent.putExtra(PlaybackService.EXTRA_PREPARE_IMMEDIATELY, prepareImmediately);
 
+        if (media == null) {
+            Log.e(TAG, "getIntent() - media is unexpectedly null. intent:" + launchIntent);
+        }
+
         return launchIntent;
     }
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/Timeline.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/Timeline.java
index 34cfe6d05..75229b9cf 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/Timeline.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/Timeline.java
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import android.support.annotation.ColorInt;
 import android.support.annotation.NonNull;
 import android.text.TextUtils;
 import android.util.Log;
+import android.util.Pair;
 import android.util.TypedValue;
 
 import org.jsoup.Jsoup;
@@ -14,6 +15,7 @@ import org.jsoup.nodes.Document;
 import org.jsoup.nodes.Element;
 import org.jsoup.select.Elements;
 
+import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Locale;
 import java.util.regex.Matcher;
 import java.util.regex.Pattern;
@@ -68,7 +70,7 @@ public class Timeline {
 
     private static final Pattern TIMECODE_LINK_REGEX = Pattern.compile("antennapod://timecode/((\\d+))");
     private static final String TIMECODE_LINK = "<a class=\"timecode\" href=\"antennapod://timecode/%d\">%s</a>";
-    private static final Pattern TIMECODE_REGEX = Pattern.compile("\\b(?:(?:(([0-9][0-9])):))?(([0-9][0-9])):(([0-9][0-9]))\\b");
+    private static final Pattern TIMECODE_REGEX = Pattern.compile("\\b((\\d+):)?(\\d+):(\\d{2})\\b");
     private static final Pattern LINE_BREAK_REGEX = Pattern.compile("<br */?>");
 
 
@@ -81,6 +83,7 @@ public class Timeline {
      * @param addTimecodes True if this method should add timecode links
      * @return The processed HTML string.
      */
+    @NonNull
     public String processShownotes(final boolean addTimecodes) {
         final Playable playable = (shownotesProvider instanceof Playable) ? (Playable) shownotesProvider : null;
 
@@ -90,8 +93,8 @@ public class Timeline {
         try {
             shownotes = shownotesProvider.loadShownotes().call();
         } catch (Exception e) {
-            e.printStackTrace();
-            return null;
+            Log.e(TAG, "processShownotes() - encounters exceptions unexpectedly in load, treat as if no shownotes.", e);
+            shownotes = "";
         }
 
         if (TextUtils.isEmpty(shownotes)) {
@@ -127,35 +130,12 @@ public class Timeline {
 
         // apply timecode links
         if (addTimecodes) {
-            Elements elementsWithTimeCodes = document.body().getElementsMatchingOwnText(TIMECODE_REGEX);
-            Log.d(TAG, "Recognized " + elementsWithTimeCodes.size() + " timecodes");
-            for (Element element : elementsWithTimeCodes) {
-                Matcher matcherLong = TIMECODE_REGEX.matcher(element.html());
-                StringBuffer buffer = new StringBuffer();
-                while (matcherLong.find()) {
-                    String h = matcherLong.group(1);
-                    String group = matcherLong.group(0);
-                    int time = (h != null) ? Converter.durationStringLongToMs(group) :
-                            Converter.durationStringShortToMs(group);
-
-                    String rep;
-                    if (playable == null || playable.getDuration() > time) {
-                        rep = String.format(Locale.getDefault(), TIMECODE_LINK, time, group);
-                    } else {
-                        rep = group;
-                    }
-                    matcherLong.appendReplacement(buffer, rep);
-                }
-                matcherLong.appendTail(buffer);
-
-                element.html(buffer.toString());
-            }
+            addTimecodes(document, playable);
         }
 
         return document.toString();
     }
 
-
     /**
      * Returns true if the given link is a timecode link.
      */
@@ -186,4 +166,69 @@ public class Timeline {
     public void setShownotesProvider(@NonNull ShownotesProvider shownotesProvider) {
         this.shownotesProvider = shownotesProvider;
     }
+
+    private void addTimecodes(Document document, final Playable playable) {
+        Elements elementsWithTimeCodes = document.body().getElementsMatchingOwnText(TIMECODE_REGEX);
+        Log.d(TAG, "Recognized " + elementsWithTimeCodes.size() + " timecodes");
+
+        if (elementsWithTimeCodes.size() == 0) {
+            // No elements with timecodes
+            return;
+        }
+
+        int playableDuration = playable == null ? Integer.MAX_VALUE : playable.getDuration();
+        boolean useHourFormat = true;
+
+        if (playableDuration != Integer.MAX_VALUE) {
+
+            // We need to decide if we are going to treat short timecodes as HH:MM or MM:SS. To do
+            // so we will parse all the short timecodes and see if they fit in the duration. If one
+            // does not we will use MM:SS, otherwise all will be parsed as HH:MM.
+            for (Element element : elementsWithTimeCodes) {
+                Matcher matcherForElement = TIMECODE_REGEX.matcher(element.html());
+                while (matcherForElement.find()) {
+
+                    // We only want short timecodes right now.
+                    if (matcherForElement.group(1) == null) {
+                        int time = Converter.durationStringShortToMs(matcherForElement.group(0), true);
+
+                        // If the parsed timecode is greater then the duration then we know we need to
+                        // use the minute format so we are done.
+                        if (time > playableDuration) {
+                            useHourFormat = false;
+                            break;
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+
+                if (!useHourFormat) {
+                    break;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        for (Element element : elementsWithTimeCodes) {
+
+            Matcher matcherForElement = TIMECODE_REGEX.matcher(element.html());
+            StringBuffer buffer = new StringBuffer();
+
+            while (matcherForElement.find()) {
+                String group = matcherForElement.group(0);
+
+                int time = matcherForElement.group(1) != null
+                                        ? Converter.durationStringLongToMs(group)
+                                        : Converter.durationStringShortToMs(group, useHourFormat);
+
+                String replacementText = group;
+                if (time < playableDuration) {
+                    replacementText = String.format(Locale.getDefault(), TIMECODE_LINK, time, group);
+                }
+
+                matcherForElement.appendReplacement(buffer, replacementText);
+            }
+
+            matcherForElement.appendTail(buffer);
+            element.html(buffer.toString());
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/VideoPlayer.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/VideoPlayer.java
index 368379509..f3c1c4f59 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/VideoPlayer.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/util/playback/VideoPlayer.java
@@ -7,11 +7,6 @@ public class VideoPlayer extends MediaPlayer implements IPlayer {
 	private static final String TAG = "VideoPlayer";
 
 	@Override
-	public boolean canSetPitch() {
-		return false;
-	}
-
-	@Override
 	public boolean canSetSpeed() {
 		return false;
 	}
@@ -22,47 +17,13 @@ public class VideoPlayer extends MediaPlayer implements IPlayer {
 	}
 
 	@Override
-	public float getCurrentPitchStepsAdjustment() {
-		return 1;
-	}
-
-	@Override
 	public float getCurrentSpeedMultiplier() {
 		return 1;
 	}
 
 	@Override
-	public float getMaxSpeedMultiplier() {
-		return 1;
-	}
-
-	@Override
-	public float getMinSpeedMultiplier() {
-		return 1;
-	}
-
-	@Override
-	public void setEnableSpeedAdjustment(boolean enableSpeedAdjustment) throws UnsupportedOperationException {
-		Log.e(TAG, "Setting enable speed adjustment unsupported in video player");
-		throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Setting enable speed adjustment unsupported in video player");
-	}
-
-	@Override
-	public void setPitchStepsAdjustment(float pitchSteps) {
-		Log.e(TAG, "Setting pitch steps adjustment unsupported in video player");
-		throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Setting pitch steps adjustment unsupported in video player");
-	}
-
-	@Override
-	public void setPlaybackPitch(float f) {
-		Log.e(TAG, "Setting playback pitch unsupported in video player");
-		throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Setting playback pitch unsupported in video player");
-	}
-
-	@Override
-	public void setPlaybackSpeed(float f) {
-		Log.e(TAG, "Setting playback speed unsupported in video player");
-		throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Setting playback speed unsupported in video player");
+	public void setPlaybackParams(float speed, boolean skipSilence) {
+		//Ignore this for non ExoPlayer implementations
 	}
 
 	@Override